My Princess Life
by ScarletInk314
Summary: Suzuka Mikan was an ordinary girl until she was declared heiress of Sakura Industries, a multibillion dollar company. Will life be the princess one she dreams about? Or will Hyuuga Natsume ruin it all? Collaborated with my bittersweet ending. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**A collaborated fic with my bittersweet ending, my dear co-producer! hope you enjoy it, and, no, we don't own gakuen alice!**

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"Get out of the way!" I screamed, madly pressing the bell of my rusty bicycle. My surroundings turned into a mere blur as I pedalled with all my might. While annoyed pedestrians leaped out of my way, creating a clear path for me, I ignored their actions and pushed harder. Insults and profanities filled the air but I couldn't care less; it only made me go faster. Then, after some serious carb burning exercise on my bike, I could finally see it - the impatient figures standing on the front step of the takeaway shop I work at.

*

"Safe!" I let out a huge sigh of relief, and pushed by bike to the empty metal rack at the back of the shop, with two people hot on my heels.

"Honestly Mikan!" Ogasawara Nonoko huffed at me, her midnight-hued eyes just narrow slits. She shook her long, silky gorgeous blue hair over her shoulder and pushed back her cute fringe. "Well?"

"Don't, Nonoko," Umenomiya Anna was a little sweeter towards me, but she was still, just like her friend, pissed. Her sugary pink curls bounced slightly as her head tilted and her oceany blue eyes seemed to hold a considerably larger amount concern than her best friend. She handed me my work outfit (black skirt and white blouse), apron, hat, a towel and a bottle of water.

"Thanks." I accepted the items, hastily changing, putting on the apron and hat, wiping my face with the towel and gratefully opening the water. After chugging about half the contents of the bottle down, I sighed, finally refreshed. I tossed the bottle away carelessly and grinned at them. This time, the reaction was not so pleasant. Two pairs of eyes glared heatedly at me.

"I'm sorry!" I cried. I couldn't stand it; if looks could kill, I really think I'd be dead. But at the same time, it was almost comical; two different people stood, hands on hips, eyes tiny slits and lips thinner than the cracks on the floorboards. They looked so funny, and I couldn't stop a bubble of laughter I'd been trying to hold in.

"Air," I gasped as I sucked in huge quantities of it, attempting to calm myself down. Soon enough, my face was its usual pale complexion again, and the only sign that was different was a slight tint of pink on my face.

"Explain."

The mere tone of that one word from Nonoko sent shivers down my back and I hurriedly started.

"Well you see, the manager of the restaurant said she would give me $10 an hour if I handed out some ads, and so I was really happy, because you know, she usually only pays me like $12 an hour for working in that hot, cramped little shop... So I handed out the ads for like 3 hours, and then she screamed that there was a mouse, and told me that she would give me $25 for catching it! But it was so fast and stuff and I really couldn't catch it until I thought of a brilliant idea- putting cheese on the ground and then I caught it…" I babbled about my day working until I was cut off. Apparently, I have a habit for talking too much.

"Mikan," Anna stopped me. Her eyes were, again, full of worry, although not for my working life, but for me. Nonoko was staring at me sadly as well, her air of frustration having vanished. This time, I really couldn't stand it.

"Why are you working so hard?" Anna asked me, sugary pink curls bouncing slightly again. She and Nonoko's faces bore similar expressions of genuine concern. I felt so touched and lucky to have such awesome and supportive friends. Not wanting them to be spending time worrying about my troubles, I swallowed.

"I'm saving up!" I tried to be cheerful, like usual. "You know, when we finally graduate, I can treat you guys to a trip around the world, a penthouse suite and New York; a full on shopping spree!" My voice slightly cracked, but I didn't think Anna or Nonoko noticed. They knew just as well as I did that there were problems at home, but they didn't bring it up.

"Come on sweeties!" I pulled their hands and semi-cuddled them. Then, I pushed both of them towards the door. I shuddered as I realized how short my skirt was getting and made a mental reminder to myself to get a new one. "Let's go to work!"

Being a 16 year old near graduate of Alice High School, this isn't exactly the best time to be working my ass off when in fact I should be studying. Of course my family, consisting of me, Mum and Dad coexist really well, which is great. They are really supportive and fantastic parents, and I would totally be happy if Dad didn't have to work in a dinky office somewhere, barely earning enough money. I suppose he's lucky enough to actually have a job, no matter how poor and unrewarding it is; heaps of people are unemployed now anyway… stuff the financial crisis. Mum...well, she just looks after the house and stuff. It's just too bad I have to supplement our income by working part-time. I know Anna and Nonoko, my besties, say I work too hard, but I don't think so. It's just them getting all worked up about the way I run my life...I know that Mum and Dad work twice as hard as I do to get me things I want. Really, other than having to juggle school working and social life I am normal and do not stand out in the least; my boring chestnut brown hair and equally mediocre brown eyes are almost ridiculously ordinary. I live life "happy go lucky", and there is little that can change that, trust me.

When I was little, I always liked to pretend I was a princess; it seemed so fun back then, being the prettiest and having the nicest dresses. A long time ago I also stopped believing in that kind of stuff, but even though they are no more than distant fantasies, every time I open up an old picture book the idea appeals to me. I wonder what it would be like to live a carefree life, where income pours straight into your bank account without you even having to work for it. Parents who don't need to save every cent to pay for the monthly bills. Stylish, designer clothes and parties every night. But best of all, a Prince Charming. One who has gorgeous features, is rich and caring, and loves me, just like I love him. The perfect life of a princess. Too bad I will never have one.

*

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, and plastered a smile on my face. I turned back to the cashier, and got ready for yet another customer.

"Next please!" I called. A relatively young-looking blonde man came up. His spiky hair and multiple piercings, clashing with clothes that were probably meant to be "cool" was a dead giveaway for a wannabe rebel. Inwardly shuddering, I tried to keep smiling.

"What do you want to order, sir?" I chirped.

"A burger and large fries, with coke," he answered in an unpleasant voice that sounded like the words had been forced out. His horribly reeking breath blew in my face and I struggled to keep my smile from twisting into a grimace.

"Just a moment," I replied as I pressed the keys on the cashier. "That would be $7.95, thanks."

He slid a wrinkled, dirty ten-dollar note towards me, and as I reached out for it, he grabbed my hand. He pressed his own filthy hand on mine, and began to stroke a blunt thumb on my palm. I felt myself go cold and stiff.

"You're a pretty one." The odour of his breath again washed over me, and I felt a wave of nausea sweeping through. "How about you tell me when you finish this job and we go to my apartment, yeah?"

"Please let go of me," my voice, unusually icy and detached, replied back. I twisted my hand out of his grasp as other customers and workers stared at me awkwardly. I snatched the note, left the change on the counter, and practically scrambled away to get his order so that I could escape that vile man. As soon as I finished putting the meal together, I pushed it towards him on the counter and did my best to avoid looking him in the eye. Despite this he tried to grab my hand again, but I spun around.

"Next please!" I called hastily, as I realized the growing line behind him. Soon, tired of me ignoring him his patience finally wore thin and he stormed out. I let out a sigh of relief, and re-focused again on serving the customers.

*

About an hour later, I was on a break with Anna and Nonoko, discussing the blonde. There were no customers to be served; the people in the shop were all eating their meals.

"I can't believe he tried to coerce me to his apartment!" I shuddered again, and faced my best friends.

"That was disgusting!" Anna quickly agreed. Nonoko shook her head in disapproval, an affirmative gesture. All three of us were perched on high stools, drinking iced water and chatting. We were in the middle of discussing what was the best movie, when the familiar _ding_ of the bell on the front door was heard, signaling a customer. Immediately, gasps from what I was guessing the females in our room were heard. Anna, Nonoko and I looked at each other questioningly, until I offered to serve him.

"Be careful," they said in perfect unison, without bothering to say jinx (and a good thing too); if they did that every time they said something together, their pinkies would be linked 24/7. I smiled and nodded, and then walked to the counter. The first thing I noticed about him was his profile. His broad shoulders and at-least-180-cm height clearly stated "masculine". He wore a sleek, black suit that looked like something out of a magazine and had emitted an unmistakable aura of importance and royalty. Oddly, he managed to make his messy black hair look so, so perfect at the same time, but by far the most impressive feature was his face. Beautifully, chiselled, fine features made him look like a god in a business suit. The straight nose and the high cheekbones gave an angular touch to his face, yet his lips were full and pink, which although set in a slight grimace created contrast with its curved lines. To my slight annoyance, the most important part of the face (his eyes) were hidden behind a pair of dark shades. My face filled with colour when he coughed, and I sneaked an observing glance at his features again, only to find the guilt-inducing feeling that what was behind those shades was focused on me. Damn, he had caught me ogling him.

"What would you like to order, sir?" I asked, repeating the procedure I had done so many times before. The man looked at me, his lips curved in a slight smirk.

"You like what you see?" he mocked, downturned mouth morphing into an arrogant smirk. His voice was low, husky and utterly, utterly seductive. Unlike that creepy dude from back then. Snapping out of my brief, girly thought train about the sound of his voice, I frowned, eyebrows drawing together in a knot. That comment just killed what I now recognised as his illusion of perfection. The arrogant thing.

"No," I denied it heatedly and responded with a glare. The smirk only widened.

"Oh, I see we have a feisty little vixen here. Sure you won't drug my food to get the better of me?"

I almost gagged at his words. I wanted so badly to punch that pretty face of his...

"Sir, I am here to serve you, not take advantage. Your order?" I tried to control my voice, but my patience was wearing away fast. It was late, and I was crabby. No sane man messes with crabby, tired women...except for this one. He was so damn haughty!

"One cheeseburger with regular fries, and an espresso." He replied smoothly, like this was something he did regularly. What an odd combination. He then removed his wallet, and took out a Platinum American Black Express Card. I gaped. Didn't he know that it was only $6.95? Did he plan to show off, or was this just ignorance? Talk about the extremes of having no common sense. I huffed, and swiped it. After that, I hastily placed the card back on the counter and put his meal together. When I handed it to him he smirked once again. Grrrrr...I honestly wanted to wipe the look off his face with his burger, and flush it down the toilet. God, just because he was a little good looking and I was staring at him, doesn't mean he can act like that! Stupid...

"You must like me a lot. Sorry, but I don't like ugly girls." He took his order and turned around, getting ready to leave. But I was so pissed! He called me UGLY! I wasn't remarkable, but I still had pride, and my bomb was ticking on "nuclear mode". Preferring not to have to destroy the order booth when it detonated, I stormed out of the, running up to him, pulling his shoulder so that he would face me. I didn't care anymore about my job, my income, anything...I just wanted to break that fake nose.

"JUST...WHO...DO...YOU...THINK...YOU...ARE?!" I screamed as I tried to punch his face. Sadly, my coordination skills were never that great, my reflexes were slow, and I was about as flexible as the average tree trunk. Just to add to the dent in my ego, there was a fry conveniently positioned right where I was about to step, and guess what? Wallah, I slipped on it and lurched forward, waiting for the impact of the hard, tiled floor. But that never happened. Instead, that never happened. What did, though, was a lot worse.

"You must like me a lot to tackle me like this, Polka," a deep voice rang in my ear, and I hesitantly opened one eye, and found an ear. That was connected to ruffled, black hair. Realising who it was, I pushed him back, about to scream. But the scream didn't come. Stuck in the middle of my throat, the scream died away as I stood frozen, my line of vision locked with that of the all too familiar, intensely tantalizing crimson eyes that had just moments ago been covered by the dark shades lying askew on the ground beside him.

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**Tell us what you think! Constructive criticism accepted! Thankyou, and we will update asap!  
_Until next time,_**

**_ScarletInk314 _and_ my bittersweet ending_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Mikan's reaction is...?? Read on to find out!!**_

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_

_Bumpy…_

_Faint sounds… was it Mommy or Daddy?_

_Cold winds and hands…_

_I opened my eyes and saw another pair… _

_Eyes… red eyes. _

From darkness light suddenly blossomed in my eyes. Blurry at first, it became brighter and brighter. Okay, now it was uncomfortable. Bleargh, it's glaring…

Then suddenly an unidentifiable silhouette eclipsed the light source. It became larger, and a few seconds later I found myself squinting into unfamiliar, dark eyes.

"Are you okay?" Now my vision focused, and I made out a face staring at me intently. Oh, hell. Am I being attacked or something? Too bad I wasn't going to go without struggle.

"Hyaa!" I cried as my foot flew up, and breathed in relief as I felt it come into contact with something that felt like flesh. Whoever put the light on my face better regret it… the self-defense lessons were actually useful. I heard him bellow in pain as he backed away clutching between his legs. Relishing the sensation of my suddenly improved co-ordination skills, I jumped up. But my joy at not having missed for once was cut short by a voice that froze my brain solid.

"What are you doing taking it out on an innocent person?" a man in a business suit interrupted calmly. His red eyes were coldly boring into mine, and with a start I remembered that he was the rich-boy jerk from before. Fury lit inside of me, and, forgetting about the man crouched over, I strode over to him and prodded him on the chest. Hard.

Only his chest was harder.

"Oww…" I whimpered and grabbed my forefinger. His face was twisted with suppressed laughter.

"You're even more of an idiot fan girl than I thought. First you faint on me, then you attack a doctor trying to revive you, and then you think you can get the better of me?" One dark eyebrow was raised as though criticizing my reason for action.

"Don't you _dare_ insult how I do things, you smug little rich boy. Get a reality check; all I want out of you is a payment for this service so that I can satisfy my own basic needs, NOT YOURS!" I hissed at him, my anger completely unleashed by now. The self-confident smirk on his face faltered for a split second, before it returned, this time even stronger.

"Am I one of those basic needs?" he suggested, his voice at a mind-numbingly low pitch. This was exactly what it did to my brain, before I hurriedly pushed it away. I increased the intensity of my glare.

"Dream on, you son of a bitch." I spat, and spun around back to the booth. This time, I quickly checked for any stray fries or burger scraps on the floor. If I slipped on a fry again, I would kill my dramatic "speech" and that would also totally kill my womanly pride. As I passed by Anna and Nonoko I smiled inwardly at their identical expressions of a mixture of disapproval and awe.

"Mikan, that was so cool! You have to teach me some of those comebacks sometime! I feel so lucky to be your friend…" Anna whispered in excitement. I blushed at the compliment. But it was Nonoko's comment, that, although the shorter of the two, made my chest feel like it was about to explode.

"Not to a customer again, Mikan, but…you go girl," she muttered under her breath, so that only Anna and I could hear. I nearly melted into a puddle at the pride in her words. Nonoko rarely praised me, but when she did, it felt really great.

"Thanks guys…I'll see you tomorrow."

And, hiding a rising feeling of nausea at the events tonight, I picked up my bag and rode my bicycle home.

*

"Mom, I'm home!" I called softly, leaning my bike on the wall beside the door. Shortly after, Suzuka Akira appeared at the door.

"Hey, sweetie. You alright?" she added, taking my face in her warm, gentle hands. I felt myself relax at her touch, and allowed her to usher me inside the small apartment.

"I'm alright, mom…just…tired," I said as we sank into the old, cushiony armchairs, and pulled off a yawn just to add to the effect. She still looked at me with skeptical eyes.

"That's not it. Mikan, dear, don't try and pretend to me. We're family; we know you too well to let you off when we can tell there's something up with you. Come on, loosen up. What's wrong?"

I gave up when I saw the look she was giving me; motherly concern was always a weakness of mine, and I wanted to wipe the worry off her, especially if it was about me…because personally I don't think that she should be doing that.

"Mom…is there no way that we can have a life together where we don't have to work for what we want?" I asked, searching in her deep, kind eyes for the answer. To my surprise she chuckled and smiled at my question.

"Mikan! After all this time one would think that you understood how life works! Quite frankly, I shouldn't have to state the facts so bluntly right now."

Sighing, I pushed my hand through my now slightly unkempt hair.

"But…I don't understand. I mean, why can't we be as rich as some of the people I serve at the shop I work in?" Her eyebrows flew up immediately in interest.

"You came across someone?" she queried, leaning forward.

"…Yeah, but…he was so…stuck up. I mean, he acted like he was some god of womanizing or something." I reluctantly replied. God, just thinking about him made me want to break something.

"Was he good-looking?" My mother's eyes sparkled with playful humor. I giggled and slapped her lightly on the arm.

"Oh, he wasn't good-looking…" I said smugly as her shoulders slumped in dramatic disappointment. Seriously, she was such a drama queen.

"Oh?" was all she said. I grinned.

"I think if I had a bucket of water at the time and tried to dump it over him the water would evaporate before it even touched his skin. Come to think of it, I'm surprised his suit hadn't started to burn from his hotness," I proclaimed. My mother laughed again.

"Sounds like a player," she said, earning fervent nods from me.

"Oh, you bet he was. I could tell from a single glance. The way he walks with a slight swagger, the type of words he uses, the way his lips move that makes most women want to glomp him and kiss them right there and then… I mean, I was talking to Nonoko and Anna when he came in, and suddenly there were gasps from what seemed to be the entire female population in the room…" I trailed off as I realized what I had just said. Oops.

Mom couldn't hide a small snigger.

"I thought you said he was a jerk just a few minutes ago. Why do I get the feeling that you are in denial of secret, _hidden _feelings for him?" she whispered. Unfortunately for her, I caught the tiny hint of the young woman I'm sure she had once been, and cut her off.

"No, and yes." I said quickly, producing an expression of confusion from her.

"You have befuzzled me, darling. What do you mean?" she said, blinking innocently. I rolled my eyes.

"No, you can't play matchmaker because firstly you don't know him and secondly I only find him physically appealing. And yes, you are too old to date him, so forget it. Thirdly, if you activate your "state of photographic memory", you will recall that I said "what seemed to be the entire female population". I'm not exactly like "all females" to begin with right?" I stopped for some air before secretly smiling and saying my using my best weapon. "Besides, what about Dad?"

She tilted her head to one side.

"Oh, Dad will survive," she said airily. My eye twitched. Damn. I had been hoping for some reluctance and thinking on her part…

"Mom, you still haven't answered my question." At this, she calmed down and her face, just a few seconds ago crinkled with lines of laughter became serious again. She sighed.

"Mikan…just because we are not wealthy does not mean we can't be happy. Everyone has to work for what they want, dear. It just varies how much they have to work for it, and that's what often makes this society unfair. But look at it this way; we have all we need to help you grow up in a safe environment. We love you with all our hearts, Mikan, so please, while we take care of you go and fulfill your dreams. If you want to be wealthy, then work for it. Because in the end it's the process that teaches you the most, not the results."

I couldn't help but smile a little at her wise words. Typical Mom.

"Thanks…Mom. For everything." And I leaned forward to hug her. It felt so…warm and safe in her arms. I could smell the faint perfume of years and years of cooking, and cleaning, and motherly care while I was buried in her embrace, and I admit I was reluctant to let her go. But she did, and not because I had to go do my work or go to sleep.

Rather, because just then the doorbell sounded.

Exchanging puzzled glances at my mother, I pushed myself off the sofa and trudged over to the front door, and unlocked it, pulling it open.

Outside stood a stranger I had never met in my life.

"Suzuka Mikan?" he enquired with what I recognized with confusion as a glint of hope in his voice. I could see now in the light that he looked like someone in old age, with many wrinkles running along his facial skin and a nearly bald head. Still not understanding why he was here, I nodded nervously.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, and immediately regretted it. For his shoulders slumped and his head drooped sadly. But he quickly regained his composure. I noticed that, like the good looking jerk from earlier, he was wearing a suit. It seemed expensive as well…

"Miss Mikan! he said. He bowed deeply to me and I just stared at him like he was an alien from outer space and had just told me that I was one of them. It was then that I remembered he was still standing outside, and I hastily stepped aside to let him in.

He stopped dead when he saw my mother. My mother's face was also frozen into a look of pure disbelief.

"Ms. Suzuka Akira? he asked. When Mom nodded, he held out his arms to embrace her.

"Excuse me?" Mom looked bewildered, and somehow twisted herself out of his grasp.

His joyful expression fell, and all of a sudden he looked older than ever. He cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't stay for long, Akira-san…May I talk to you privately? This is an urgent matter…" I saw my mother hesitate, before replying.

"…Alright. Please, come with me." And, taking him by the hand, she led him out of the living room. I was left there staring as frantic whispering noises came from the kitchen.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the two adults re-entered the living room. By now I was desperate to hear the news, whatever it was. It was almost certain that it was bad news, for Mom was trembling slightly, her eyes and nose were puffy and red and her pretty, light blue handkerchief was soaking wet.

We stood facing each other, none of us wanting to begin. But when the silence became unbearable, I couldn't keep my curiosity in and burst out,

"WHAT is it? Tell me!"

Mom's face turned towards mine, a look of apprehension evident on her face. I shouldn't have been so rude, I know, but I really needed to know what had happened.

A hand gently touched my mother's shoulder. The old man spoke.

"Akira san…is it alright to tell her?"

After a brief hesitation, my mother nodded stiffly. The man turned to me with a grave expression etched into his features.

"Mikan, you are not Ms. Suzuka's biological daughter. In fact, you are actually the biological granddaughter of Mr. Sakura Hideaki."

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**And we have a cliffy!! Keep tuned for the next chapter, coming soon! Please review so that we can listen to your ideas and criticism! Thankyou!**

**Until next time,**

**_my bittersweet ending _and _ScarletInk314_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! this is chapter 3, up and ready!**

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"_Mikan, you are not Ms. Suzuka's biological daughter. In fact, you are actually the biological granddaughter of Mr. Sakura Hideaki."_

"_Not Ms. Suzuka's biological daughter…"_

"…_granddaughter of Mr. Sakura Hideaki..."_

The words kept bouncing off the inside of my skull, leaving echoes. I'm the biological granddaughter of Sakura Hideaki? Ok, ok. Stop thoughts. Pause. Rewind.

"Sakura Hideaki?" I croaked. My throat was dry. He couldn't possibly mean...

"Yes, Miss Mikan," he replied, with a slight bow. "Sakura Hideaki, the founder of Sakura Industries."

I gaped, not caring that I probably looked like a goldfish. Sakura Industries was a multi_billion_ dollar company, and someone shows up on my doorstep and tells me that I was the _granddaughter_ of their founder. Dude, this was no kidding matter. He was on the "Top 10 Richest People In The World" list this year! And I was his granddaughter, and one day, heir to this. Yeah, right. I'm totally the Queen of England. I looked over at Mom, hoping she'd tell me this was a joke...a dream. And I would wake up any second. I pinched myself. Hard. It really hurt.

What the hell? In just ten seconds I was celebrity now? Great. My dream has come true...not.

Then I realized something. If I was Sakura Hideaki's granddaughter, then Mom or Dad could _never_ be related to him- their social status and their financial wellbeing was just too different. If I was Sakura Hideaki's granddaughter, then Mom and Dad aren't my real Mom and Dad. I blinked, and felt my whole face and throat start to seize up.

"Honey..." Mom leaned closer to me, trying to pull me in a hug. Just half an hour ago, I would feel safe and invincible. Now? I felt shattered, broken and _weak_. I pulled back, and glared, tears now pushing their way over my eyelids and creating rivulets.

"HOW COULD YOU?" I screamed hysterically, jumping up and slowly backing towards my room. Mom looked slightly ashamed. She tried comforting me again, but I cut her off before anything more could come out of that mouth I now despised. "I LIVED HERE FOR ALL MY LIFE, AND ONLY TODAY YOU TELL ME THAT THIS IS ALL A LIE? I'M NOT SUZUKA MIKAN. I'M SAKURA MIKAN, AND YOU GUYS ARE NOT MY FAMILY! I TRUSTED YOU TO BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL TO ME, AND YOU...YOU'VE TURNED MY WHOLE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE INTO SOME FABRICATED MESS!"

"Sweetie..."

I bolted into my room, and slammed the door. I just didn't want to hear anymore. I couldn't stand it. I lived like this for 16 years, and then everything turns out to be a lie...no, _I_ was a lie...

*

I trudged out of the room an hour later with eyes swollen and a puffy, red nose. Not pretty. I had spent the last hour sulking and thinking, and wondered...would I rather live with someone like Sakura Hideaki, or Mom and Dad, if they were still my parents? Mom and Dad, of course. Oh, Dad was home...wait...was he still my Dad..?

"I've decided," I announced. I plopped down on the nearest chair, and looked at my audience critically to see if they were listening. When I was satisfied with their response, I started to speak.

"I don't care if I am Sakura Hideaki's biological granddaughter or not. This is the only people I will acknowledge as my Mom and Dad is the Mom and Dad there, and I don't care if we are a biological family or not." I hoped this sounded dramatic enough. The old man in the suit, however sighed.

"Miss Mikan," he started slowly. I nodded, telling him that I was listening. "Sakura-sama has spent the last 16 years searching for you. He has done everything in his power to search for the thing most precious to him- you. He even expanded his company, and made it so influential so the chances of finding you would increase. Even if it increased only a little, he didn't care. And now he has found you..."

I started to cut in, but he beat me to it.

"Are you cruel enough to leave an old man, whose sole wish is to see you again?"

Damn. This man was good. He knew I was a sucker for cruelty, and the words he used really tugged my heartstrings. Was I really that cruel? But no, he hadn't finished yet.

"I have heard that you wanted to live a "princess life", Miss Mikan. If you went to live with Sakura sama, he would make sure you lived one."

Double damn. How on earth did he know all that stuff? He was _really_ good. A princess life... I can't give in. Ganbatte Mikan!

"Suppose I would go live with Sakura-san, can I bring my parents? It's a fair compromise!" I tried bargaining with the man, but he refused immediately.

"Absolutely not, Miss Mikan," he said flatly. "Mr. and Ms. Suzuka adopted you illegally, and if it wasn't for the fact that they looked after you, Sakura-sama would have sued them! They are lucky Sakura-sama let this pass."

I was really torn. I was really curious about how a "princess life" would be – right until now, I had only dreamt and imagined about one. But Mom and Dad...they seemed to sense my reluctance, so they smiled (sadly) and nodded.

"I'll go for a few days. If I don't like it, I'll come right back!" I was pleased with this compromise.

"Thank you Miss Mikan!" the man beamed and took out a cell phone. "We can go right now."

"Don't I need to..." I started but was ushered to the door. "Pack?" I muttered. As soon as we stepped inside, there were 5 stretch limousines on the road outside. Passerby's were gaping- this was a poor part of the country and magically, there were limos on the road! The man grandly opened the door of the middle one.

"If you may, Miss Mikan."

My princess life was beginning!

*

56, 57, 58, 59...60. Ok, screw awkward silence, I'm gonna chat away even if he's not listening.

Ummm...Mr...? I asked, blushing slightly as I realized that I didn't know his name.

"Call me Tezuka, Miss Mikan."

"OK, Tezuka san. What kind of person is...ojii-san?" I inquired delicately. Oh my God, I surprised even myself. Calling a total stranger Grandpa. Wow.

"Hmmm," he chewed his lip thoughtfully, and slightly creased his suit. ""Well, Sakura-sama, as you know is extremely influential and well known in the business world. He has very..._strong _morals, and if he thinks something is not right, he would not hesitate to do all he can to make things right."

Um. Excuse me, but...cut that fancy crap. So you're basically telling me he's influential. Well, no freaking duh. Why else would he be on the "Top 10 Richest People in the World" list? And that "strong moral" stuff? Doesn't that fit the adjective "stubborn"? Seriously...talk about word-twisting...

"Do I have any siblings?" I pressed on, wanting to know more.

"No, Miss Mikan. You are Sakura sama's only grandchild."

I stopped asking questions then because I felt sleepy. It was like 11 at night.

"Miss Mikan..."

"Miss Mikan...?"

"MISS MIKAN."

I started, waking up. Wow. His voice projection was a little too good.

"We will arrive soon," Tezuka san informed me quietly. "However, it is already late, so perhaps another time. Please get to sleep, and Sakura-sama will see you tomorrow morning."

"OK," I agreed quickly. I seriously needed to catch up on my beauty sleep. I had been working extra shifts these few days, and yesterday, that good-looking jerk kept haunting my sleep. Grrrrr.

Sure, enough, a few minutes later, we were driving down an isolated road. The stupid thing kept going on, and on, and I would have screamed in frustration if we weren't passing exquisite scenery with lush green trees every few metres. Bright lights lit the road, giving it a breathtakingly unnatural glow to the place. It had been about ten minutes down that road when I spotted a black dot, barely discernible, lying ahead. As we approached it the dot became bigger and bigger, until I saw what it was – a giant gate, dark and imposing yet touched with an air of beauty by the intricate design. Around it I could just make out bushes. I gasped, and Tezuka-san smiled empathetically at me. As we entered the gate, I experienced the strange sensation that something was swallowing me. I felt smothered, like the marshmallows in between the chocolate wafers in s'mores. It was so unreal. We went down yet another excruciatingly long road, rendering me more impatient by the second. Like the gate, I saw a blob at the end of the road. But this time it wasn't a gate. It was a mansion. Scratch that – a freaking_ castle_.

It was stark white against the black background, three storeys tall and about two football fields wide. The giant elegant windows made it look pretty and well kempt. The white lights surrounding the place created the (really unnecessary) illusion of making it look bigger and more intimidating. What's more, there was a freaking _red carpet_ being rolled out from where I presumed we were meant to stop to the top of the stairs. The stairs looked so long...There were also (gulp) big, bulky dudes holding equally proportionally-sized guns. Probably security...? Oh well. I know self defence. I'll be okay, thank you very much. The giant, marble pillars made the house look even more unreal. Oh my God, this place seriously looks like a castle...how the hell did they build it?

"This place looks like one of those castles the prince takes the princess to," I breathed, sighing dreamily as I turned to Tezuka-san.

"Miss Mikan..." Tezuka-san sounded uncomfortable; he was probably trying to ignore my "dreamy state". "This is your house."

I literally burst with excitement. Seriously, this was better than giving me one whole year of free howalon. And that is really something, because howalon is the most gorgeous sweet ever.

"Oh my God, really?" I squealed, like a toddler who went into a confectionary shop. I was so thrilled- I was going to live in this palace! "Let's go!" I threw open the limo door, and bounded out. Then I sprinted up the stairs, throwing the guards a grin. Some looked slightly confused, and gave me a little awkward nod while the others just gaped at me while I ran up, looking at me like I was mentally retarded. But I couldn't care less. Instead of being put out, I pushed open the huge white doors eagerly, only to be greeted by dozens of maids and butlers.

"Hello Miss Mikan," they chorused, bowing deeply. Wow! They were so...cute! The maids had adorable black and white French maid outfits, and the guys were wearing spotless, ironed suits. The hallway was amazing as well- huge white marble floors, and stunningly detailed chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a ballroom! There was spotless white and cream furniture carefully arranged around the room, like a feng shui artist had been there or something. Everything was so perfect... wow. This place was bigger than my hall at school. The words "extravagant" and "perfect" would be a total understatement. And if "perfect" was an understatement then I don't know what wouldn't be.

I looked up that fantastic winding staircase, complete with an absolutely _huge_ "H" hanging on the wall in all its glory at the top! Seriously, sliding down it would be fun, hey? I think I'll try it tomorrow...Now I noticed a huge portrait of a gorgeous young couple hanging on that same wall and immediately lost myself in them. The woman was gifted with supermodel good-looks; the soft curves of her heart-shaped face was contrasted by beautifully formed cheekbones and a pretty nose. Her skin looked soft and utterly white like snow (though not in a bad way), and from what I could see her figure was slender. Her hair, chocolate brown and lustrous, was pulled into a shining bun save for a few casually loose strands gently suspended around her face, almost as if they were moving slightly in a breeze. But the eyes were the most expressive, almost drowning out the beauty of the wedding dress, staring straight into my own like she was right there in person and with a serene, faraway look, like she was trying to tell me her deepest fantasies without words. And beside her, standing with a hand resting on the back of the chair the woman was sitting on was a man, handsome and radiating a sort of joy I couldn't understand. His face was the type that I knew would look eternally youthful. Alert yet warm eyes were focused on his wife and his lips were curved so naturally in a beautiful smile, like he had done them many times before for his bride. They were positioned in a garden, with a sakura tree in full bloom and pink petals falling around them. Tezuka-san noticed me looking and smiled at me sadly.

"Those are your late parents, Miss Mikan."

_What?_

"Late parents?" I echoed disbelievingly. Late as in..._dead_?

"They passed away when someone reported that information on you had been discovered. They rushed to the place straight away, but unfortunately got caught in a car accident. By the time they were rushed to the hospital, they had already passed away..." Tezuka-san said in a hushed tone. My parents died looking for me? They must have loved me a lot to rush somewhere just because they had a little bit of information on me.

"That is why Sakura-sama has been searching for you endlessly, Miss Mikan. You may not know it, but you greatly resemble Yuka-sama, Sakura-sama's precious daughter."

I was shocked by then. This plot was sort of like a drama...

"Anyway Miss Mikan," Tezuka-san said, hurriedly changing the topic. "I suggest you go sleep now. You may take a bath to refresh yourself, and Sakura-sama will see you tomorrow morning. Good night."

He walked away quickly, and two young maids called rushed forward, bowing to me deeply before ushering me upstairs. While I clambered up the long stairs, I mentally cursed myself for not taking P.E seriously at school- this made me realize how physically unfit I was. The maids were not even puffing and I felt like I ran a marathon walking up these goddamned stairs! Finally, we got up and after turning around endless white corridors which looked totally the same, we stopped at a room. Then we went in.

*

The room was amazing! When I walked in, I immediately spotted a little black hallway, and then a huge lounge. The sofas were white and squishy. There were expensive vases and roses everywhere, and a huge "50" plasma T.V. on the corner. Then, there was a glass table, probably for studying or eating meals. As I walked further down the continued hallway and turned left, there was a Jacuzzi tub with a shower cabinet thingy. With the sink and the toilet in the corner, this room was bigger than Mom and Dad's whole apartment put together! When I turned right, there was a gigantic dressing room, stuffed with designer dresses, clothes, jewellery, handbags, make up...how awesome! But the best thing had to be the bed. Enveloped in foamy, white canopies was a queen-sized bed, with squishy black and white pillows, and black and white comforters. Sweet! I was ready to jump on top of it when someone tapped on the door. It was a maid, and she bowed to me.

"Miss Mikan," she said formally, bowing. She had strawberry blonde hair, and sparkly green eyes. In addition, she was small and petite. Kawaii! "I am Makino Shizuka, the head maid. I will be the maid mainly looking after you. I have bought some pyjamas that Sakura-sama ordered for you."

She snapped her fingers twice, and immediately, more maids came in pulling racks and racks of pyjamas with them. I quickly looked through the first rack, and noticed all of them were brands! Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, you name it! I was getting really tired now, so I quickly picked out a silky, baby pink night dress and headed towards the Jacuzzi. However I was stopped by another horde of maids holding baskets of sweet-smelling stuff.

"Miss Mikan," I snapped awake at Shizuka-san's voice. "There is an assortment of bath scents and natural flower petals to help you relax in your bath. Which one do you want?"

I sidestepped and slowly walked down the hallway, with maids holding out baskets. All of them smelt exotic and nice, but still, this was only a bath. Rose petals have better uses than that!

"Umm," I cleared my voice. "I think I'll have a bath with soap."

All the maids looked stunned, and for the second time that night, I felt like a retard. Shizuka-san quickly recomposed herself and bowed.

"As you wish, Miss Mikan," she replied. I smiled. Thank God. Someone understands me!

"Bring in the imported soaps from Italy!" She hastily added. Maybe not.

*

The bright sunlight hit my eyes through huge curtains. I groaned and stretched, blinking. I instinctively reached for my alarm clock, only to realize it wasn't there. This wasn't my bed either, as I found out later. My bed was small, cramped and hard. This one was big and comfortable. Oh wait. I remembered now. This wasn't "home." I crawled out of bed and trudged to my dressing room, and decided to wear a white dress and black heels. Paired with a black and white "Swatch" watch, a white bow and some light make-up, I looked pretty good. I still couldn't get over the fact that with all this stuff I could probably put on a different outfit every day for the whole year and still not have gone through all of them! Breakfast was served on the pretty glass table and consisted of scrumptious pancakes, steaming coffee (mm...) and perfectly made toast with strawberry jam. Yummy! I haven't pigged out in ages! When I was finished "prepping up", Tezuka san came to escort me to see Grandpa.

*

We were turning left and right, and walking a lot. My feet really hurt; if I knew I was going to walk that much, then I wouldn't have worn heels. We had walked for roughly 5 minutes and we still haven't got there yet! Then, I heard a faint clacking noise that I recognised unmistakeably as someone coming. First, I dismissed it as a maid or butler- there were probably hundreds around! But I was wrong. Instead, a tall figure came towards me. As he got closer, I checked out his profile. He had a casual outfit on but he still looked amazing; the buttons of his black shirt were undone and he had tennis shorts on. He was carrying a sports bag, he walked with a slight swagger and looked extremely confident; it was practically radiating out of him. He had God's face with angular and chiselled features and stunning red eyes. Wait...he seemed a bit familiar. As he walked up to me, Tezuka-san bowed and greeted him. I ignored the nagging feeling in my stomach as he got closer. He was too hot!

"Good morning, Hyuuga-sama."

"Hn," He grunted in reply. He glanced in my direction and seemed just as confused as I was. "Who's this?"

"This is Miss Mikan, Sakura-sama's granddaughter."

"Oh?" he inched towards me until his perfect nose was just centimetres from my own. "She looks just like Yuka-sama." I blushed when he stopped, but I quickly snapped when I heard his next remark.

"How much plastic surgery did you get to achieve this? Because the surgeons did a pretty damn good job. For a lowlife working in a greasy fast food restaurant just yesterday to being called the granddaughter of Sakura-sama in the next, I give you my praise."

Cocky bastard...wait. Fast food restaurant? Yesterday? Realization struck me like a lightning bolt.

"You're that stupidly good-looking hentai from before!" I screamed, pushing him away. He smirked and backed away.

"I've got better things to do than play with you, Polka," he walked past me. Polka? PERVERT! I swear one day I will kick his wound-up arse! But maybe not now, since I have a reputation to keep up.

Shaking my hair back, I steeled myself and stalked forward, stopping briefly by him without so much as a shiver. And I made sure Tezuka-san was out of earshot as I subtly inched my mouth closer to his ear and whispered two sentences.

"Watch what you're doing, Hyuuga; you never know when I will get you. And trust me on this; when I get you, I'll get you good."

He did nothing but smirk in reply and say:

"Ditto."

Thankee for reading, and I really do hope you guys review. They keep us from updating this story even though we have tons of homework. How about this, I'll make a deal with you- update and I'll give you a cookie and a free hug (:

3 my bittersweet ending

* * *

**Ok, how was it? We made it extra long for all the reviews you guys gave us! thx heaps! this is sort of bribing but review for free hugs and cookies! **

**Until next time,**

**_ScarletInk314_ and _my bittersweet ending_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go again! 4****th**** chapter up; enjoy! Sorry for the slight delay…**

* * *

I'd bet heaps that Tezuka-san heard that soft growling near him. Namely coming from my throat, and the sound increased dramatically as soon as I was sure Natsume couldn't hear me.

"The little snob."

Tezuka-san shook his head slowly, a small, unexpected smile spreading on his face.

"Ah, Miss Mikan…you may find that there will be a lot more of that kind of judgment in the future…although it is only because you grew up in what they consider the "barbaric" way, while they were protected like gems, polished every day but never let go of, and in the end they are more like permanently untouched cotton, forever free of outside experience. They were born with "silver spoons" in their mouths. However, if you do not mind me saying so, you were born with a wooden one. Despite this, in my opinion, you would most likely do better being subject to a range of different environments, so do not let his words sink in." Tezuka-san's words were surprisingly comforting and I felt myself warming up considerably to him.

"You know, I kind of like the idea of Hyuuga being a ball of sterilizing cotton…then I can soil him," I mumbled quietly, so only Tezuka-san could hear, and heard him let out a small chuckle.

"You are funny, Miss Mikan. I haven't laughed in a long time…" I beamed.

"Just an outside influence," I explained happily, and he laughed again.

*

"Hey, Tezuka-san?" I ventured after a brief silence in which we only walked.

"Yes, Miss Mikan?"

I bit my lip. How should I put this, hmm? Rack your limitless vocabulary, Mikan!

"What…were my parents like?" Upon hearing this Tezuka-san's face became surprisingly tender.

"Ah…many of us who have worked for your parents in the past have fond memories of them." My eyes widened in astonishment.

"You…you worked for them? Tell me! What were they like?" I cried, jumping in front of him and shaking him vigorously. He waited for me to calm down before responding.

"Very well. Let us start with your mother," he said, nodding. I tuned in eagerly.

"Yuka-sama was…to put it honestly, one of the most graceful women I have ever met in my life. She was the epitome of perfection; beautiful, elegant and empathetic all in one. I am not surprised your father fell in love with her like he did.

"Your father, on the other hand, was like the counter to Yuka. He was what brought all the childish fun, and the previously nonexistent compassion for her into her life. As you would have seen in that painting on the wall just then, they were both young and fresh…at the prime of their lives, him a handsome, funny man many women sought after and her, a woman whose incredible, almost alien personality seemed out of range for many men. They were _the_ couple; the one the press chased after 24/7, the light for everyone out there looking for the right person."

I stared at him in amazement, wondering if it was actually appropriate for an employee to be so personal with his employers. But it was unimaginably consoling for me to know what my parents were like before I was taken away.

I now realized as I looked away from the faraway look on his face that we had arrived in front of another room in the mansion, just as overwhelmingly huge and glamorous as the room I now lived in. But that was not the focus of most of my attention.

My eyes were fixed on the man standing in front of us.

Tall and standing in an upright position that was very impressive for a man who looked like he was approaching his 80s, and possessing graying hair, there was no doubt that this man…

Was my grandfather.

"…Ojii-san…?" I probed tentatively. But before I could say anything I was enveloped in eau de cologne.

"Mikan…" he murmured softly, not realizing I was choking in the clouds and clouds of perfume and business suit.

"Mmph." I 'mmph'ed into his chest. Ojii-san realized he was cutting off my air supply and hurriedly let me go. I gulped in the air like water.

"Gomen," he apologized, "Please, come inside." And with that he led us into his mansion.

*

"This is so awesome!" I exclaimed, taking another sip of my tea. We were sitting on a small balcony in which sat a cute, white, round table and two seats and which was furnished with small pot plants.

Jii-san looked at me carefully over the top of his cup. His eyes, I noticed with interest, were very dark, like wells. He nodded slowly.

"Indeed, Mikan. Now, we come upon the topic of behavior in public. It has occurred to me that in order for you to inherit a company with a good reputation you will have to…refine your etiquette."

I blinked in confusion. Refine my etiquette? He doesn't like my attitude?

"You want me to change?" I asked him, frowning. He didn't seem like a decent grandfather. He must have comprehended what I was thinking, because his expression changed to a surprised one and he hastily said,

"Oh, no, no, of course not _change_. We just want to show you how to deal with things like the media. After all, it would be best for them to see you as a mature individual, so that they won't bother you. But you are still free to be yourself and do what you wish under normal circumstances."

"…Oh." Was all I could say. He nodded again, faster this time.

"Ah, I remember telling the same to Yuka when she was your age. My, you both have such similar expressions…" he chuckled. I blinked, and I was reminded of my outside life. Suddenly I wanted to go outside again. I wanted to feel the fresh air blow in my face. Not the sweet-smelling inside of a mansion. I needed a day out.

"Hey, jii-san? Do you think I could go out today…? I'd like to be normal again for a bit."

His expression was one of polite surprise.

"Why, of course…" he sounded so unsure, and I wasn't surprised when he hastily added another sentence. "On one condition, though." Now it was my turn, and I waited for him to respond. After he put his cup down again he spoke.

"You have to bring someone to keep you safe…and I think I know just the right person."

*

"Never." I crossed my arms with an air of definite finality. Jii-san sighed.

"It is this or you don't go."

"No! I refuse to be seen in public with that HENTAI!" I shrieked, pointing a finger at the Hyuuga sitting inside the limo, who was amusedly watching our argument.

"It's rude to point at people, polka. The crudeness of your behavior is much worse than initially anticipated."

"Oh, PISS OFF, Hyuuga." I forced out as I glared furiously into the car, my voice dangerously low. Was it me or did these people use excessively complex and weird vocabulary? Or maybe they just liked wasting their breath. "The world does not revolve around you, contrary to your belief, so will you just stop staring at your face in the mirror for hours every morning because you think people will be worried to see a zit on your nose, you…moronic cretin!"

I felt pretty proud after the last phrase. I hoped that phrase sounded as impressive as I thought it did. His face twisted into an expression of mock outrage.

"Where did you put the camera to capture that footage, polka? Am I that irresistible? So, I officially have another fan girl; how _exciting_."

"I am NOT your fan girl, asswipe!"

At that moment, jii-san intervened.

"Look, Mikan. Hyuuga Natsume is the prodigy heir of the Hyuuga Corporations. I don't know about your history with him Mikan, but you have my words on it that he will protect you. After all, he is exceptionally talented at martial arts, am I right, Natsume?"

Ha, sure he would agree. I was surprised he hadn't already done the opposite.

To my utter astonishment, Hyuuga in his seat respectfully turned to jii-san and confirmed his words with a sickeningly modest face. I practically felt my jaw drop anime-style like someone put a brick in it (ew; essence of brick).

"You disgusting little—" I was cut off when hentai's hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me with a small tug into the back seat. When I was about to protest, he somehow stopped me and the next thing I knew I was squished next to him, peering through the window up at jii-san's smiling face. Rephrase, _evilly_ smiling face.

"Bye bye," he said, waving innocently as I sent him a death glare out the rear window of the car. I was surprised it didn't burn through the glass.

Boy, was he so dead when I got back. Hentai over here wasn't the only person who was "exceptionally talented at martial arts", dear jii-san! But oh well, I guess I'd just have to make do with the pervert for now. Thank god I brought my pepper spray… I haven't had a gut feeling proven wrong yet!

"So, where would you like to go?" Hyuuga asked me after a while. I sighed, wondering if he was even going to agree with what I was about to say. Well, here goes nothing.

"I want to visit the cemetery," I said, turning to look out the window. I didn't have to look to know his face was startled.

"Why would you want to go…to a cemetery?" his voice came from my right. Why on earth was he so nosy? Turning back to him with an expression of annoyance and determination I curtly replied.

"I want to see my parents, Hyuuga. If you don't mind, can you just take me there and leave me be?"

"No. I can take you there, but I have to go in with you…"

I snapped.

"What gives you the right to stand in front of my parents' graves, huh? For god's sake, Hyuuga Natsume, this is my first time going to see them and I can't even be alone? Do you have a heart?"

He looked away. Okay, I went too far. I think I struck a nerve. I was about to apologize when I saw him shaking. Oh crap, now he's crying. Never would have guessed he could be so sensitive. What was I supposed to do? I started to panic, looking around for a tissue or something. Why do they have freaking _bars_ in a high tech limo when they don't have basic sanitary items like Kleenex?

And became really pissed when I heard a barely smothered chuckle escape from him, and realized he was laughing.

Grabbing the tissue box I found just then I whacked him on the head, and started yelling at him.

"You jerk! That's not funny. I really want to go in alone!"

"No can do." His smirk was _so_ annoying.

"Why can't you just die? I swear God's too nice to you."

"Well, maybe he thinks I shouldn't die yet because lots of girls' lives out there depend on my own."

What the hell?!

"You sexist bas—" my retort was cut off as the limo suddenly swerved to the right, and I was slammed against the door by Natsume's body. My head banged against the glass window and I thought I smelled something rather nice; like shampoo. But it wasn't mine, so it must have been his.

"Mmph." All of a sudden I could only breathe from my nose. Something was covering my mouth and preventing me from doing anything with it.

It took me several seconds to realize that Natsume was still on top of me.

With his lips on mine.

Again, it took me several seconds to register that Natsume was kissing. Me.

That.

PERVERT.

"HENTAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I shrieked, shoving him away with all my strength. He slid along the seats and came to a smooth stop (damn, how did he pull that off?) as I buried my face in my hands in absolute mortification.

"You are such a bad kisser. I'll bet a monkey could kiss better than you could."

I blew a wisp of hair out of my eyes as the car halted in front of the cemetery. To my irritation, he stepped out, clean and unruffled and looking as if he had not just kissed a girl who hated his guts.

I, on the other hand, was unclean and mussed up and looked as if I _had_ just kissed a boy whose guts I hated.

Glaring at him all the while, we began trying to find the grave of my parents.

*

"Hey, Natsume! I've found it!" I called softly, crouching down in front of two headstones. By now the deathly quiet of the cemetery, broken only by the occasional sobbing for the recently deceased, had gotten to both of us, and we didn't feel like being lively in this sort of sullen place.

A few moments later, I felt his presence behind me, shadow falling over my own. I did not look up, and instead resigned myself to tracing a finger carefully on the engraving of Yuka's name.

"Okaa-san…otoo-san…" The names felt odd, and I realized that this was because before this I only ever used those for my foster parents.

Azumi Yuka

1964-2009

A beautiful wife and mother

Yukihira Izumi

1960-2009

A loving husband and father

"They were remembered as such wonderful people…why? Because they died? Or because they really were like that?" I heard myself mumble, my voice thick with the emotions running through my mind. Kneeling, I turned around and tugged at the leg of Natsume's trousers, and could not raise my head.

"Natsume. You knew them; you must have. What were they really like? Please, answer me…" Finally mustering the strength to meet his eyes, I looked up to find that I could not see them; they were hidden in shadow.

"…I…really…didn't know them that well. You will have to ask someone else." I couldn't keep back the tears any longer; angry and hot, they coursed down my cheeks.

"I don't know. Who are my parents? The ones lying before me…or the ones I grew up with? Who am I? Suzuka Mikan…or Sakura Mikan? I really don't know anymore…"

He shifted slightly, and all of a sudden I could see those crimson eyes, now just half-hidden. For a moment I thought I spotted something; a flash, maybe, of something unfathomable in them. Then it was gone, and all I detected now was pity and sadness in them.

He was pitying me? How sad. I refuse to have somebody pity me like this. Lowering my head again to hide my expression, I let go of his trouser leg and with a great effort pulled myself into a standing position. My eyes met his again; this time I channeled my frustration at him.

"_Why_ do you look so sympathetic? It's not like I need it. Do you think I'm _weak_? Is that what you really think?" By now the tears were pouring drop after drop incessantly. They dripped off my chin onto the grass at my feet. Unable to stay calm, I tore my eyes away from his confused face and curled up in a ball in front of otoo-san's grave, trying to keep in all the anguish and fury threatening to overtake me.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Don't make me say it again, Sakura. You asked for it."

I glared at his shoes over my shoulder.

"Yeah, sure I did. I bet you've been waiting for this since last night at the fast food store."

"As a matter of fact I haven't. Now will you please stop crying? Goddammit, you are such an embarrassing person to hang out with." I gratefully accepted the tissue he held towards, and noticed with surprise as I wiped my eyes with it that it didn't smell of cologne. And it was clean.

"Thank you..." I handed the tissue back to him, smirking. He pushed my wrist back towards myself.

"Don't come near me with that…" he muttered, leaning away slightly. I blinked innocently up at him, before dropping the grotty tissue on his sneakers. Natsume just stood there glaring at me (with a tissue on his shoe).

"You look twice as ugly with a post-crying look than when you're actually crying. And to think that when you're not crying you're already hideous enough, polka. Polka Ugliness – level up. You never cease to amaze me - I thought you really couldn't get any uglier."

For the umpteenth time that day, I snapped at him. With great difficulty, I resisted to urge to roundhouse kick him where it hurts the most. Settling for a death glare instead, I wondered why he couldn't stay nice, like he was just a moment ago.

*

"Please?" I whined. Natsume just stared at me with that constipated expression of his.

"I'm not known to watch that sort of movie, polka. Much less with you." I folded my arms.

"Uh, but you _could_, for once. After all, I am set on watching this movie, and if you don't come in who knows what might happen to me? If I go missing jii-san won't be very happy with you."

His eyes narrowed.

"Is that blackmail?" Um, did he really need a confirmation? Geniuses aren't much, are they?

"You tell me. I thought you were a prodigy."

"I am, and I can tell you're missing a vital detail."

Oh great, now what?

"You've forgotten this is _my_ house, and you are just going into _my_ living room. Nobody's there, Sakura."

I lost it again.

"Look, I spent _a lot_ of money to rent this movie, so just sit down and watch!" I began to drag him inside.

"Don't forget that you used _my_ money, baka."

"Who the hell cares? You have a platinum card, so stop being such a miser!" I put _Titanic_ in and began playing it.

**30 minutes later**

"Omigosh, don't jump!" Terrified that Rose might jump off _Titanic_, I latched onto the crimson-eyed dude beside me, before realizing who it was and recoiling like I'd been bitten.

"Have some sense, polka. It's only half an hour into the movie, and you think one of the main characters is going to die?"

"Oh, I'm _extremely_ thankful that you had to make my stupidity obvious again."

"No problem. Anytime."

"Hey!"

**1 hour later**

I buried my face behind Natsume's arm, not wanting to see the scene before me.

"Come on, it's just a sex scene. You're 16, polka, and still so squeamish about these things. Look, they're not even doing anything apart from making out."

"They're naked!"

"I've seen better."

"What do you mean by that? Besides, your armpits stink."

I knew he was smirking by now. Again.

"That's off-topic. And they don't stink. I deodorized it. You're just saying that to make me feel humiliated."

"…Damn. And I really needed to know about your armpits and deodorant."

"Fail. Want to know what brand I use?"

"Hell no!"

**Near the end – Natsume's POV**

"Ahhhh!!! Noooooooo……….Jack, don't dieeeeeee………." I heard Mikan moan sleepily.

"You know, it's just a movie. And Leonardo DiCaprio isn't even good-looking, so I don't know why you bother saying those things." Her eyes flickered wide open immediately and she looked up to shoot a look of outrage at me.

"Don't. You. Dare. Diss. Leo. You. JERK!"

"I'll diss him all I like," I said, not averting my eyes to see what heavy object had fallen on my shoulder, "And besides…he _isn't_ good-looking. That's an honest opinion, you know."

I was about to get out my laptop and google a picture of him to prove my point.

There was no response.

Then I came to the realization as I turned my head slowly to ogle at my shoulder that the heavy object that had fallen on my shoulder was…Mikan's head. It seriously felt like a sack of sack of large stones, but I didn't want to protest because she looked less ugly (and heaps less annoying) when she was sleeping.

"Okay…I'll save that for tomorrow, then." And, with a sigh I turned back to the television screen to watch the ending of the movie.

* * *

**ATTENTION – You may have noticed that some people have reviewed saying that our story plot is very similar to that of a Taiwanese drama called Romantic Princess. Me and my bittersweet ending did NOT know anything about such a thing until these reviews came in. Please trust us because we really never knew about these similarities and even later on the plot is similar but we do not plan to make any changes. We would feel really bad if accusations start coming in so just please try and enjoy **_**our**_** work. Thankyou.**

**On a slightly happier note, my bittersweet ending is doing a new fanfic! But it's without me ): . Its plot is lightly based on "Memoirs of a Geisha." Please support her! *cheers***

**Until next time,**

_**ScarletInk314**_** and **_**my bittersweet ending**_


	5. Chapter 5

**We have good news:**

**It's the holidays here! Which means that we will have more time to write for My Princess Life...which means more chapters coming to you!**

**...Did I just sound like a commercial woman there?**

**Anyway, read on! **

_BEEP BEEP BEEP..._

I groaned and snuggled deeper under the silky covers, totally ignoring the alarm clock ringing its head off. It probably never occurred to the inventor but women did not need annoyingly loud alarm clocks to interrupt their beauty sleep.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP..._

Okay, you stupid, persistent thing! Pulling my arm out from under the blanket I landed my hand on a wooden surface. Hold on. That didn't feel like a piece of metal. I moved it around again until my fingers closed around a cool something. Turning my head instinctively towards the vague light on my right I sleepily flung the still beeping alarm clock away. The small thud that came seconds later from outside, along with the absence of the beeping brought me solace at last.

"Mmmmm..." I twisted back to my left and (to my surprise) realized there was something warm there. Snuggling closer, I hugged the warm thing; it was probably a stuffed toy or something. Ojii-san seemed to think that I was a still little girl, and ordered the maids to adorn my room with stuffed toys and lace. I guess it didn't really fit with the teenage girl thing but it wasn't like I was complaining- they made my room look CUTE!

"What the hell are you doing, Polka?"

A deep, sexy voice shocked my eyes open. Suddenly, my beauty sleep wasn't the focus of my attention anymore. I now discovered, thanks to my very...sharp...observation skills, that no, the warm lump next to me definitely wasn't a teddy bear. I opened one eye slowly, dreading what I might see. And what I did see would become one of the greatest humiliating moments of my life. My arms were wrapped around the number one hentai in the universe, Hyuuga Natsume.

In bed.

And he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Oh, crap.

I admitted he looked really, really hot. No...scratch that. He looked so sexy it was almost surreal. Too bad his personality was about as attractive as something that died. By now there was a part of me that was scared at his inhuman skill of being able to handle any situation anytime. His hair, I noted, was ruffled and messy, just like mine probably was. Although he managed to still look smoking hot while I looked like a bird's nest. And he was _lean_, but even now I could make out a well-toned torso. By far, though, the most stunning feature was his eyes.

Despite being their usually shade of beautiful red, they looked annoyed and tired. Long, black lashes lay low in accordance with his half-closed eyes. I really wondered how Hyuuga could look so perfect. Wondrously smooth skin that had as much chance to develop pimples or blemishes as I had of finding someone who wasn't a snob in this supposedly higher society. Heck, his skin was probably better than mine! That was _so_ breaching laws of nature! Awesome, drool-worthy muscles and probably a six-pack to match. Sigh...

"Do you like me that much? Sexually harassing me in your sleep. I'd never thought you would stoop so low just to touch me, Polka," The sound of that thrillingly deep, husky voice was really nice to hear...except that he _had_ to ruin the effect by what he said.

"Me? Sexually harass YOU?!" I screamed, throwing the nearest thing I could get my hands on at him. Unfortunately, my co-ordination was never even decent and the pillow flew, hitting one of the drawers.

"If you molesting me at this time in the morning isn't considered sexually harassing, then tell me what is."

I bit my lip, thinking hard for a retort. To my delight, a light bulb glowed as I remembered yesterday's incidents.

"You KISSED me yesterday!" I said triumphantly, sticking an accusing finger in his face. Wow, I beat a genius! He opened his mouth (no doubt to protest), but I cut him off.

"And why are you in my bed? Did you take advantage of my helplessness induced from watching Leo after the Titanic last night? Oh my god; I can't believe I thought you were even semi-decent!"

"Polka," his lazy drawl stopped my train of thoughts, "get a reality check."

"Excuse me?" I felt really confused and damn ANGRY. He just sexually harassed me and he was telling me to get a reality check?! If it were legal I would wring his neck. No, better yet, I'd chop off his arms, legs and head. Then, I'd hang his pretty head on a pole and prop it up on Hyuuga Corporations head office. Then, I'd chop his limbs into a million pieces, feed half of it to the dogs and flush the other half in the toilet! That sounded pretty good.

"Are you that dumb?" he continued, looking at me like I was mentally challenged. I was about to retort with another awesome comeback but he stopped me with a glare. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce my own like blades, and I gulped, suddenly nervous.

"Firstly Polka," he said. "I did NOT molest you, contrary to your twisted belief. I have better taste than those people on your level of intelligence and beauty, thank you very much. Who in their right state of mind would want to do anything like that to you anyway?"

He insulted me _again_! I may not be Miss Universe material but I was not ugly!

"Secondly," he went on smoothly. "Your bed? I beg to differ. Don't make me laugh, Polka. _This is my house."_

What? Dude, this was his house? I looked around, frantically trying to disprove his words. And got a nice faceful of contrary evidence. Indeed it wasn't my room. There were no big stuffed toys, no lace and no white adorable furniture. Instead, it was unmistakeably masculine with red and black furniture and decorations. The bed was a king sized four-poster on with black canopies surrounding it. The only similarities were that the size of the room and the lavish and expensive furniture were on par with my own.

"Oh..." I stuttered, trying to redeem myself. "Um, OK?"

I was about to apologize and comment on how nice his room looked, but with oh-so-convenient timing my stomach started to protest. Hentai, on the other hand, smirked like a Cheshire cat, threw the covers off and hopped off his bed.

"Polka, not only are you unattractive and crudely raised...you are a glutton as well."

With that, he wandered lazily out of his bedroom, leaving me staring open-mouthed in outrage after his retreating figure.

*

"Um..." I stared down at my plate. Hentai looked up from his to raise a quizzical eyebrow at me.

"Yes?"

Damn. How come he can do the eyebrow thing so well? Life is so unfair.

"How come you can do the eyebrow thing? And why does everything on this plate have something to do with tomatoes?"

I mean, seriously. All I saw was red when I looked at my breakfast. Tomato on toast, a salad composed primarily of diced tomatoes, tomato _juice_...hell, when I looked at his breakfast I could see _tomato_ floating among the cornflakes in his bowl. Now that was gross.

"Firstly, I'm born with the ability," he said, again raising one eyebrow as if to demonstrate that fact, "and secondly, there's nothing wrong with tomatoes, so if you have something against them then you can skip breakfast."

Wow. Someone was passionate. I never would have guessed that Hentai was a tomato-freak. In addition, tomato was a food most men wouldn't like. I mean, dude, people ate it because they wanted to get and keep healthy. Yet Natsume looked fitter than 99% of the male population and here he was eating _unhealthy_ amounts of it like there was no tomorrow.

This was a beautiful opportunity to blackmail.

"Hentai."

"Hmm?" he was now (to my utter amazement) _eating_ the tomato-cereal. I inwardly cringed.

"If you don't make me a tomato-free breakfast I will have hidden cameras film you constantly and then I will sell the footage to your fan girls." I smiled foxily as he choked on his 'breakfast'.

"WHAT?!" he burst out, leaping out of his chair. I couldn't hold back a giggle.

"This is so priceless..." I said airily, leaning back with satisfaction, "the Hyuuga Natsume losing all composure like that. And you thought I was crude?"

"...You wouldn't." His voice came out as a snarl.

"Oh, I would."

"You would miss breakfast."

"I'll go out and buy something."

I smiled evilly as he slumped in defeat. YES, I BEAT HIM!

_**Mikan's Imagination Bubble**_

_I peeped from the trench carefully, gun grasped tightly in my hand in case the enemy was behind me, waiting for a chance to attack. It started lightly raining, and the ground became wet and slippy._

_Snap._

_My ears perked up, and my concentration increased. I looked around, checking my surroundings carefully. The enemy was close, and he was foolish enough to let me know it._

_Then I spotted something. A black crop of messy black hair half-hidden under an army helmet. Blood- red eyes swept in directions, scanning for foes. I smirked as he stepped closer, totally oblivious to the fact that I was there. Just a little closer..._

_Perfect._

"_Hyahh!" I screamed as I roundhouse kicked him. Landing punches on him, I grinned as he staggered back, his eyes glassy. He was on the verge of tears. He groaned; from the agony, or from the shame, I didn't know. But he didn't have to be ashamed – I, the great Sakura Mikan had so totally whipped his butt._

"_Please, have mercy on me!" he begged, bowing low. His clothes became muddy from contact with the wet, dirty ground._

"_Show me you are not faking it," I commanded. This could be a trap._

_The person shakily pulled a white flag from his bag, ran back a few steps and waved it around above his head before sticking it into the ground. I won._

"_Mwa ha ha ha!" I laughed evilly, placing my hands on my hips. I was suddenly on top of a mountain with a crown on my head and a staff in my hand. Hentai's head was underneath my foot and he was bawling like a baby..._

Or not.

_**Mikan's Popped Imagination Bubble**_

"I'll lock you in the house."

"You have no right to. Ojii-san will start getting worried."

"He would never suspect me. Even if he did there are rooms in this house only I and the architects who designed it could find."

Fine. He won. Again.

"...Alright, you win. But I'm still getting better, so one day I'll beat you."

"I may not live to see that day."

"...Don't worry. I'll keep you alive until then."

"Is that a life insurance offer? Because I don't trust it."

"...You're right. You shouldn't."

Getting up I stretched, yawning, and pushed my plate towards him.

"Here. Have it. I'm going to get a shower."

*

I walked around the huge house, trying to remember where one of the bathrooms were. As much as I didn't want to admit it, my memory wasn't that good and in huge places like these, I really couldn't remember where I was. As I passed a long, white hallway that looked like an excellent place for sock sliding competitions. Sweet. As I walked down that hallway, I noticed a vase with red roses that like unnervingly familiar.

"Didn't I just walk past that two minutes ago?" I mused, chewing my lip. Thank God a maid walked past then, and the sweet thing led me to a bathroom. After handing me some fluffy white towels and a basket of sweet smelling rose petals, she went away, leaving me to my own devices.

The bathroom was huge, decorated with gold and white. In the centre was a magnificent golden tub, with various nozzles and faucets. Squealing, I ran to it and twisted all of them. A huge gush of water and other things poured down. I started undressing, before realizing the tub was filling quickly.

"Shit!" I cried, desperately trying to turn it off. After twisting all the faucets anti-clockwise frantically, I wiped my brow. But the force was totally not with me today. I didn't realize I was meant to turn it clockwise to turn it off. So wallah, instead of it ceasing, it poured down quicker. I still didn't realize this fact, and to add to the mess, I accidently elbowed the bottle of bubble bath into the bath. By this time, it was filling up pretty quickly, and with the help of the bubble bath, the water was now overflowing.

"HELP!" I screamed, desperately. By this time, water was everywhere, and I was soaked. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

I think someone did hear, because soft footsteps became louder, and soon, someone had forcibly opened the door. To my absolute horror, it was Hentai himself.

"Shit Polka!" he cursed, as he saw the mess the bathroom was. He rushed towards the tub, skidded to a halt and turned off the taps with ease. "What the hell did you do?"

"I don't know," I replied. I had turned on the waterworks now, and I felt like a moron. I couldn't even turn off a tap for Pete's sake! Who wouldn't feel like a moron?

Hentai must've been shocked to see me crying. I must've looked pretty bad. I know for a fact that I look pretty ugly with blotchy skin and puffy eyes.

"Polka," he stepped towards me and stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed something. I stopped sobbing for a second and looked at him quizzically.

"What?" I snapped.

He looked away, cheeks tinted with a little pink. I was confused, until I looked down and realized I was half naked- as well as soaking wet.

"HENTAII!" I screamed, throwing the nearest thing I could lay my hands on. "GET OUT...NOW!!!"

*

I guess it wasn't really Hentai's fault that he saw me like that. After all, I was screaming for help. But still..! At least he got his maids to get me a new set of clothes, along with some pancakes and waffles which I enjoyed in another bathroom. This time, however, the maids made the bath for me. After I had bathed, a butler immediately ushered me outside, where a sleek Mercedes-Benz was waiting for me.

When I got home, I was still fuming. It was so pissing offing that he saw at my knickers _again_. Whoever said "once bitten twice shy" totally did not know what they were talking about.

However, I immediately brightened up when I was walking up the red carpet on the top of the stairs. The red material instantly reminded me of an _incident_ this morning involving a certain red fruit and a certain hentai...

*

**_Next morning, Natsume's POV_**

I ran a hair through my messy hair, not bothering to smooth it down. I was in a bad mood- Polka had broken my alarm clock yesterday. I honestly didn't know how she and Yuka-sama were related. Sure, they looked alike, but their attitudes were miles apart. One was a perfect lady with impeccable manners. The other was a crude pig. Who didn't even know how to turn off a tap. And shouting at me like that when she was screaming her stupid head off for help. It was called gratitude woman, and you use it when someone does you a favour. Sadly, I didn't think Polka understood that fact.

My gut was telling me that today wasn't going to be a good day. I pushed it away, thinking that nothing could be wrong with Polka gone.

"Kurosaki," I called to my head butler as I was tying my tie. "Did you prepare breakfast yet?"

Kurosaki, a man in his early fifties, looked worried, like he was thinking of telling me something.

"Hyuuga-sama," he started nervously, "there is something you should know. The house has...malfunctioned because of a ... certain present someone has given you.

"Malfunctioned? House?!" I echoed.

"Please follow me, Hyuuga-sama," Kurosaki started to walk to the main entrance of the mansion. I followed him, slightly perplexed. As soon as Kurosaki opened the door, I felt a migraine start throbbing in my head. There were tomatoes _everywhere_. The usual green lawns were completely smothered with red tomatoes. The small, neat hedges looked like they were drowning in tomatoes. Hell, even the really long _rose thorns_ had become skewers, with scarlet tomatoes sitting like heads o their tips. However, it wasn't completely drenched; amongst the redness I could make out patches of green. Blinking, I looked closer, and discovered they made words. I blanched when I read the message:

**THANKS HYUUGA FOR SPILLING THE TOMATOES ON YOUR OBSESSION **

**AND FOR THE STAY**

**YOU JUST SO TOTALLY GOT PWNED BY ME**

**LOVE MIKAN**

Love, Mikan...

_Love_, Mikan.

How sweet of her.

Too bad I wasn't gonna be sweet back.

Striding back inside, I pulled out my mobile and dialled a number.

"Good morning, Mr. Sakura. I have a favour to ask of you."

* * *

**Well, there you go! And now, for the big news (because mybittersweet ending and i felt evil lately):**

**Review! To find out what favour Natsume has requested of Mikan's grandfather, we demand 10 feedbacks before chapter 6 comes up. MWAHAHA. Please? Pretty Please?**

**Okay pay up! Nonono, just kidding...**

**Sorry. I'm in a weird, impulsive mood right now.**

**Until next time,**

**_mybittersweet ending _and_ ScarletInk314_**


	6. OMAKE!

**WE HAVE AN OMAKE CHAPTER FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS!!!! SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!**

* * *

I sighed, and tapped my fingernails against the glass table I was leaning against. My gaze shifted to the mug in my hands, and smiled. It was filled to the absolute brim with hot chocolate, and decorated with extra whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate sauce. And then my gaze shifted again, this time to the huge, glass window that was showcasing a normally brilliant view of the outside scenery. I growled at what I saw.

Droplets of moisture were plummeting down from the clouds above, dark, intimidating, big in all their downright ugliness. The sky wasn't much better. Instead of being a pretty shade of periwinkle blue like it would be on a gorgeous sunny day, it was a dull shade of g-r-e-y. In a "most boring colour" competition grey would win with its hands tied behind its back; I mean, it practically _screamed_ "don't look at me".

I sighed again. This time, it was of frustration. I was _bored_. It was pouring outside, and there was honestly nothing to do. Even though this place was huge, I was beginning to think that the mansion's size was just for show. Most of the leisure activities were for _sunny _days. I tried to brainstorm some activities that could at least entertain me until lunch.

"Tennis..?" I mused as I looked at the soaking wet courts. Rain was practically sliding down, and it looked slippery, slippery and _slippery_. In other words, it would be suicide for someone with co-ordination skills my level to try and play. I could sort of play tennis, if flinging "unidentified flying objects" around a hundred metre radius of the courts counted.

"Basketball..?" I mentally asked myself. I immediately hacked that idea out of my head. It was impossible- I had less talent in basketball than I had in tennis. I was too short to dunk, couldn't shoot to save my life as well as being so physically unfit I doubted I could even last a quarter of a match. Watching basketball was way more fun than playing the actual game.

The huge green grass made me think.

"Horse riding!" I cried. I felt so proud- before a little voice in my mind killed my little moment of glory.

"In this weather?" it snickered in disbelief, and at my stupidity. Oh yeah...it was pouring.

The huuuuuge marble hallways were perfect for sock sliding, but sock sliding sucks with only one person playing. That was out.

I already went to the spa, and there was absolutely nothing to do in it, unless dozing off in there counted. And sleeping in my bed would be a better option than in a spa.

The plasma T.V. in my room had boring channels in it, and I wasn't in the mood to watch chick flicks.

"Shopping?" I inquired. It seemed like a decent activity that would kill time nicely. But that suggestion was quickly shot down when I realized that I had no-one to shop with. I hadn't contacted or seen Nonoko or Anna. Shopping by myself would make me seem like a loner, and grandpa would _never_ allow me to shop by myself. Having burly bodyguards trailing behind you when you looked at Victoria's Secrets latest lingerie would absolutely _suck_. I did not have much to flaunt in the chest area; I mentally grimaced as I imagined the bodyguards waiting outside while I was changing into the lingerie. Even worse, they could very well be hitting on some chick with a double D cup while I was trying to fit into a mere B, totally killing me (and my chest's) ego. Damn.

"Swimming...?" I faltered, and immediately knew the answer. Even though there was an indoor swimming pool as well, that really didn't help. There answer was still a big, fat no. "There's nothing to do!"

*

I stalked out of my room, my bomb timer counting down rapidly. I needed to get some air - being confined in that huge space was making my brain hurt. It wasn't healthy, either. Sitting there eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate. Heck, I had already polished off three plates and asked for about seven refills. I was so into thinking about ways to kill time, I did not see an advancing figure. I kept walking and collided with a (rather hard) chest.

Even though I didn't see his face, I knew it wasn't a butler or, much less, a maid. If I bumped into one of them, they would spring back like I was something disgusting, and apologize profusely, with sweat beading down their faces. However, this person didn't do that. Once I crashed into his body (which was fabulously muscular), he uttered one sentence.

"It's only been a few days and already you latch yourself to me, Polka?"

Yup, it was the number one hentai in the universe, the cockiest and most arrogant prat ever _and_ the person I loathed with every fibre of my being. Hyuuga Natsume.

*

"What the hell are you doing here, Hyuuga?" I demanded and I stood up. To my disgust, he didn't even _try_ to help me up. So much for manners.

"Sakura-san wanted me here to clear up some business," he replied smoothly. He then ran a hand through his ever-messy jet black hair. I had to admit, the action was kind of sexy. I noted that he had on what must have been an expensive suit and a pair of shiny black shoes. The suit I also noted was perfectly crisp, and there was not a wrinkle in sight. The only article he wore that wasn't clothing was a platinum Rolex watch on his right wrist. He looked...fantastic. If only he wasn't such a pain in the ass...

I mentally checked my own appearance to compare. I had thrown on the warmest clothing there was in the walk in closet; a grey V-neck cashmere sweater dress with black stockings underneath and black ugg boots. My own brown locks were slightly curled in light waves. Some professional make-up artists had taught me how to put on make-up, and tried to help me familiarize myself with some of the items. As make-up was expensive (and completely unnecessary to me before), I never wore it. Now? Right after I took a bath daily, I would plod towards the dressing table to apply (at the very least) some light make-up. My face was powdered, mascaraed, lip glossed, blushed and foundationized. I wore a simple chain and hoop earrings, as well as a black headband in my hair. I think I looked alright, though probably completely unremarkable next to him (as most people did).

"Hyuuga."

I was surprised. I didn't intentionally call his name. If he responded, and then if _I _responded with a "nothing", he would tease me until I died...! His crimson orbs swept to me as I called his name. My girly side squeaked and blushed, but thankfully my exterior didn't give away anything. Quickly settling for the excuse I had in my mind, I decided to gamble everything.

"I'm bored. Take me to a mall."

One eyebrow, which was...streamlined, one could call it, and undeniably sexy, rose up in disbelief. Oh no...

"And...?" he scoffed. "Do you think I care, Polka?"

I sniffed. Prat. I was about to shoot off some random retort, but then I bit my tongue. OK, it is raining outside, you are bored, and you basically have a man who has to do what you want? What do you do? Think, Sakura Mikan, think!

"Of course you care, Hy-uu-ga – kun," I deliberately said his name like that. To my un-disbelief, he did not seem affected. Instead, he opened his mouth to comment, but I cut him off before he could speak. "Ojii-san thinks you care..."

I secretly smiled as the last sentence had the very effect I hoped it would have. At the mention of grandpa's name, Hyuuga stiffened. His chiselled face lost of a bit of colour, and he inhaled from his bone (or cartilage?) straight nose.

"Fine."

*

"Hyuuga!" I shrieked. This idiot, asshole, jerk, moron, waste of space...idiot? "I told you I wanted to go shopping! You just freaking passed the mall!"

And he did. We were in his black convertible Lamborghini, and I had to admit he looked hot. Hot enough to earn me some jealous and longing looks from some female (and male) pedestrians and other drivers anyway. It was sprinkling outside and there was a lot of wind, but that pervert didn't seem to mind. The wind toyed with his hair, and if possible made it even more perfect. His suit became creased, but to my chagrin it made him look hotter. Tiny droplets of rain stuck in his hair, and when the wind tousled it, it seemed to sparkle somewhat. Designer shades accentuated his face well. Breathtaking features were pale as usual, but seemed to become even more good-looking by the second. With one hand on the wheel, and the other perched casually on the side near the window, he really did look gorgeous.

Meanwhile I was sure I wasn't as stunning. Scratch that, I'm sure I looked really _ugly. _I was still wearing the cashmere sweater dress. However, I had taken off the stockings and wore knee length black boots. I had re-applied my make-up, which, thankfully, held up. My hair was the problem. It too was tousled by the wind but instead of making me look better like it did with Hyuuga, it caught in my wavy hair and fuzzed it up. Life was _so_ unfair.

The car swerved sharply when a turn came, and screeched to a halt at a red traffic light.

"Hyuuga," I growled. He ignored me, and flickered his eyes towards me briefly, before pressing on the pedal. Hyuuga drove like a madman on the loose. I was almost certain he was speeding. To add to my annoyance, he was still able to be the stuck-up bastard he was and reply to my retorts. Grrrrr.

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" he turned his head a fraction, and smirked at me. Desperately fighting the blush, I quickly retaliated with a heated glare.

"How am _I_ the idiot? _You're_ the one speeding and driving like a brainless git!"

"When you said I passed the mall, Polka, did you honestly think Sakura-san would allow you to go to that commoner place? So no, Polka, I didn't go there on purpose. You are shopping at Sakura san's private mall."

After that,_ I_ felt like the idiot. Of course grandpa wouldn't let me. He was all about etiquette, manners and social status. I was the heiress of a multibillion dollar company now. Ha.

Hyuuga must have noticed my change in behaviour. I was feeling uncomfortable, and a bit depressed. Despite looking the part, I still hadn't adapted to high class life as well as grandpa thought I would.

"Polka..." his voice was surprisingly soft, and sounded almost gentle. I cocked my head at him. He was looking at me with an expression I couldn't identify. It was adorable...and surprisingly innocent. I was about to tell him that, when he spoke again.

"Or should I call you "White Lace"?" he snickered and looked ahead again. I didn't get it, until I looked down. Oh my gosh! I felt my cheeks burning up, and suddenly wanted to scream. The wind had ruffled up my sweater dress, and he saw my knickers...again!

"HYUUGA-" I shrieked, but was cut off. The car stopped in front of a secluded area. There were huge gates in front of us, and by the looks of it, they were automatic.

"Do you have the pass?" a gruff voice asked. He stuck out a hand, and Hyuuga thrust something into it. After quickly inspecting it, the gates opened, and we drove up the road. It wasn't long before I saw the mall. And it was _enormous._

*

Oh...my...god! This place was awesome! It was big and white and pretty and...so damn good for shopping. Instinctively, I grabbed the thing next to me and dragged it to the nearest store; Chanel.

"Let's go!" I squealed.

"Polka," his deep voice resounded in my brain, and I realized who I was clutching on to. Crap. I let go quickly and stalked into the store. A lady who looked like she was in her late thirties or early forties greeted me politely, before leaving me to my own devices. Scanning the racks stuffed with designer clothing, I rushed to the first one, and began mentally imagining myself wearing it. Ignoring Hyuuga's somewhat disgusted stares that were thrown towards me (and the semi-drooling lady), I squealed again, grabbed a coat off the rack, and skipped to the change rooms.

"This is so pretty!"

*

"I'm tired," I said as I handed yet another bag to the hentai next to me. And I was. The saying "shop till you drop" had a totally new meaning in this mall. I had walked, eaten and basically enjoyed myself for three and a half hours. It was now one o'clock. Sweet. But the howalon on top had to be the misery I was certain Hyuuga suffered. Walking around with a shopping-crazed girl, lugging everything she bought and doing nothing else could be pretty torturous. Not that I felt sorry for him.

"Hyuuga!" I called to the hentai behind me. Crimson eyes flashed angrily, but instead of cowering away at the dangerous aura behind it, I smiled. He wouldn't...no,_ couldn't_ do anything to me.

"Let's go home!"

*

"There's nothing on T.V.!" I complained flicking the remote. News channel...random drama...old movie...sports channel...

"Hn," grunted Hyuuga. He was flipping through some kind of magazine. I sighed. I was bored...again. The rain, which had just been a fine shower hours ago, had again turned into a complete downpour.

"I thought the rain was meant to come again another _day,_ not another _hour,_" I grumbled. Fortunately, luck was on my side. My eyes landed on an abandoned board game that I hadn't played in _ages._ "Hey, let's play Monopoly!"

*

"I'll buy it."

Hyuuga's decision almost made me groan in disbelief. How could that bastard be so _lucky?_ He had three out of the four stations, both utilities _and_ both the blue properties! To add to my utmost annoyance, I couldn't put up any houses, because stupid Hyuuga had at least one in every freaking lane! Even though he had so much property, you would think he would be broke ages ago. But _no_. _I_ was the one broke. The dice seemed to hate me. At almost every freaking turn, I would freaking land in one of the freaking properties Hyuuga freaking brought, which made me freaking close to being freaking bankrupt.

"$280," I muttered. I was the banker. Tossing the colourful notes at me, Hyuuga then proceeded to find his newest property among the remaining cards. Mind you, there weren't many properties left. Gulping, I took the dice and rolled. A four. Great; one dice down and one more to go. Cupping the second dice in my hand, I was sure I was shaking from fear. Is there such thing as dice-a-phobia?

"Please, not two, not two!" I prayed before rolling the dice. After rolling around for a couple of (agonizing) seconds, it turned out to be a three. Seven. Moving my dog figure forward seven figures, I sighed in relief and I stopped at Chance.

"Looks like I won't have to pay you anything this turn, Hyuuga," I gloated as I reached over to take one of the bright orange cards. Still smiling, I proceeded to read the card.

**You Have Been  
****ELECTED CHAIRMAN  
****OF THE BOARD  
****PAY EACH PLAYER $50**

The mere sentence made me scream in sheer outrage; Chance cards were meant to be good! I threw the card on the board, sat back down and looked for my money. Hyuuga leaned over and read the card in amusement. His ever present smirk widened as he finished reading the contents.

"Pay up."

**30 MINUTES LATER**

"OK Hyuuga, you win," I threw everything back and started to pack up. "Houses in here...money here...Chance and Community Chest cards in here..."

"You suck at Monopoly."

The blunt statement pissed me off. Who wouldn't be angry when someone told them they sucked at one the simplest board games created? My brilliant brain then thought of another game.

"Whatever...I was unlucky," I said coolly, "I'll crush you in card games."

He smirked again. "Bring it on."

*

I padded to my drawers, and pulled out a deck of cards.

"You shuffle," I threw it carelessly at Hyuuga. He caught it and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. After taking out the cards from the plastic case, he roughly split the pile in half and shuffled. He was _good_. The cards passed as a mere blur, and I could do little but look in awe. After repeating this process a couple of times, he stopped and looked at me questioningly.

"What?" I snapped. My cheeks turned hot, and I knew I was slightly blushing. Damn those eyes. Hyuuga should get coloured contacts. Blood red was too...tantalizing.

"What game should we play, Polka?"

I bit the insides of my lip; I was thinking deeply. I smiled as I thought of my favourite one.

"Poker."

*

"You're bluffing, aren't you Polka?"

This question sent shivers to my spine.

"N-Noooo!" I stuttered. "I call your bet!" I quickly counted five chips and shoved them in the centre. Hyuuga simply raised an eyebrow (still pissed he can do that so well) and looked at me mockingly.

"OK then. Last card."

With that, he flipped it over, slightly overlapping it between the two other revealed cards. They consisted of a jack of clubs, a ten of spades and a nine of hearts.

"What do you have, Hyuuga?"

I flipped the two cards in my hand, and smirked.

"I've got a ten and a nine, which makes that two pairs," I smirked and folded my hands on me chest. "Well?"

Hyuuga's bangs slightly covered his eyes, and he flipped them out of his eyes. Returning my smirk, he silently flipped over his own cards.

"A queen and a king. I've got a straight, Polka. I win," he said coolly, before proceeding to take the chips. "I win this game. You've only got one chip left."

I groaned, and threw down the cards. He was right; he won. How come he was so damn _good?_

"It's not over, Hyuuga," I gritted my teeth. "Next is Big Two."

*

"Pair four," I tossed the cards in the pile, waiting for him to play his cards.

"Pair six," he replied, as _he_ placed _his_ cards in the pile.

"Pair eight."

"Bigger pair eight."

I stopped. I put down the eight of hearts and eight of spades, while he put down the diamond eight and the eight of clubs.

"It's not fair, you know," I blurted out. "Technically, they're both the same!"

Hyuuga ignored me, and raised his perfect eyebrow. "Do you pass?"

"Listen to me," I spat, and prepared to indulge and awe Hyuuga in my simple but effective explanation. "Hearts is the second biggest, right? And spade is the third, while clubs is the biggest and diamond is the smallest. So, technically, its like two plus three which equals five, and one plus four which also equals five. So you can't play that pair!"

Crimson eyes swept up, and locked them in a staring contest with my brown ones. Feeling a blush starting to taint my cheeks, I instinctively threw the closest thing I could reach. Which turned out to be a pillow. And that hit squarely in the face. I stifled almost uncontrollable laughter as he literally ripped the pillow out of his face.

"Polka..." he growled, smushing the pillow in his hand. He reeled back his arm and hurled it back. He had good aim, and it managed to hit me. Which sucked, because I was _allowed_ to throw it at him since he didn't listen to me! I didn't do anything to him, so he shouldn't have retaliated.

"Hyuuga!" I screamed. "You'll pay for that..._tenfold_!"

Soon, it turned out to be a full scaled pillow fight, and he won...again.

"What's the matter?" he grabbed a pillow and flung it at the sofa. "Sore loser?"

"Natsume..." I replied as sweetly as I could. "Do me a favour."

I got up, and walked to the huge window. I then turned around to face him, and leaned on the window. He looked at me with an extremely puzzled expression on his face. Smiling broadly back, I sang, "Here's a window. I want you to jump out of it and die."

"That can't do, Polka," he replied. His leaned back, and gave me his trademark smirk. "I'm actually needed here. Plus, people don't want me to die."

"Oh no you don't," I snapped. "This is _my _room, and I don't need you, so jump." I wrenched open the window before his reply, and gasped outside. It wasn't raining anymore. Instead, the sun was just setting, and the sky, instead of being an ugly grey, was a canvas blushing shades of pink, romantic red, serene lavender and gorgeous, bold orange. I must've stared at it for a long time. I admit, I'm not like most women, and cannot multitask _as well_ as most. Because when I was gazing out the window, my concentration skills went out of it.

_SLAM_.

The pillow again made contact with my face. Growling, I turned around and gave Hyuuga my best death glare- the one that almost made a butler wet his pants when he didn't give me my daily dose of howalon.

"How dare you...!" I rushed towards him, hands cupped, ready to choke him senseless. His facial expression didn't change, but he smartly pinned me down but his own hands. I had bumped my head on the ground (which was thankfully carpet) but it hurt nonetheless. After briefly closing my eyes, I opened it again only to find Hyuuga's flawless (and godly) face above mine. Naturally, my cheeks were tinted a cherry red colour, and I was about to open my mouth to say something, the door opened.

"It's almost time for dinner, Miss Mikan..." Shizuka, the head maid, walked in and observed the scene before her. She turned red and apologized immediately, before scrambling outside.

I looked up, eyes questioningly at Hyuuga. That was when my genius decided to kick in, and I observed. The room looked like Myer after a combination of "bargain sale" and crazed mothers. It was messy as hell; sofas were displaced from their usual perfect angle, some vases were broken and flowers were all over the place, pillows were everywhere and some paper files were spilled around the floor.

But the worst of the scene was the position I was in with Hyuuga. He was on top of me, and probably from the vigorous pillow fight we had just moments before, he had removed the blazer of his suit, and was left with his button-on shirt and tie. Which were not in the best conditions - the shirt's top few buttons were undone, and the tie was super loose and askew. His usually messy hair was even more unkempt, sticking up in every possible direction. Not good.

I was even worse. I was underneath Hyuuga, and not only were my arms pinned down, my legs had (now as I noticed in mortification) been shoved apart by one of his knees. My hair was in a worse state than Hentai's and my makeup hadn't held at all after the pillow fight. My clothes were crumpled and I honestly looked a mess.

It dawned on me that Hyuuga and I did look rather...messy and along with the rather...dishevelled room...it looked like Hyuuga and I were making out, or going further than that.

"Crap..." I muttered before shoving Hyuuga off me. "This is all your fault bastard!"

And then I ran after Shizuka-san, leaving the idiot who caused this behind.

* * *

_Well? How was that? Sorry for the uber late update (squeals and hides behind the bed). I admit it might not be my best piece of writing because truthfully, I have got a little bit of writer's block. Plus, it was Christmas and New Years so Inky and I couldn't update quickly. I have done an one-shot on Mikan and Natsume called "Strawberries are better than Chocolates" and I hope that if you have the time, you would read it. Enough of my babbling, and all in all, __**have an awesome 2010 (:**_

_**Hugs**_

_**My bittersweet ending **_

**ATTENTION:**

**ScarletInk314 blames her procrastinating over updating the next chapter on her recent frenzy drawing posters for her friends' coinciding birthdays.**

**Yes, it's me. Put me in the stocks if you can find one and throw rotten vegetables at me. In a nutshell...GOMEN NASAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really REALLY sorry, and YES I do have an excuse. Okay, let me recount how my holidays have led to me not doing any of My Princess Life whatsoever.**

**First I spent one week after updating the latest chapter telling people I would put the next one up in seven days time and reading other peoples' fanfics and telling them I loved them. Then my lovely co-producer My bittersweet ending and I decided that we'd take a break for Christmas. And then it stretched to New Year's and then My bittersweet ending and another friend (who's also on fanfiction...) had birthday parties coming up really suddenly so I spent another day trying to figure out what to give them before finally spending a total of 3 days on a Maximum Ride poster involving the whole flock sketch-copied from the book (my printer is dead) as **_**well**_** as spending another day drawing a picture of Natsume for My bittersweet ending (cuz she luuurrrveesss him) so now I'm standing here in an imaginary stock typing on my laptop that I'm terribly sorry and to please forgive me.**

**Now, onto other subjects. Please cheer for My bittersweet ending and another friend's BIRTHDAYS!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BITTERSWEET ENDING AND THE OTHER FRIEND!!!!!!**

**A present, you ask? She did ask for our total number of reviews to hit 50 before her bday (on the 10****th****), so that's your goal, pplz!**

_**Future projects: **_

_Titanic: The story of Fang and Max_

_Star-Crossed: Neji and Tenten_

**Until next time,**

_**ScarletInk314**_


	7. Chapter 6

My heart did a weird wrench as we passed the huge, intimidating gate again. I guess I still wasn't used to this…extravaganza yet. The limousine kept driving down the perfect path with its perfect hedges. After a while, the car slowly pulled to a halt, and as soon as I stepped out of the limousine, the familiar suit-stereotype figure that was my Ojii-san came into my view.

"Ohayo, Mikan-chan. Please, come inside." I sighed quietly. Geez, jii-san was so polite even when he was around family that it almost felt artificial. This 'family' that we were meant to be was so different from my last one. Sure, it was considered 'fake' and could be called a semi-scandal, but back then, it felt so _safe_ and _warm_. Now? It was like I was skating on thin ice in a dream, and the ice could break and bring me tumbling into the harsh, shocking cold of reality at any moment.

*

"Now, starting from today we will have you attend classes on a weekly basis to refine your etiquette, Mikan-chan…"

I was seriously starting to space out by now. It wasn't like I didn't know about it already, and while ojii-san had startled me somewhat with this piece of news it was little to worry about and I was already sinking back into a stupor. I mean, what on earth did he expect?! I freaking spent the entire day out as _well_ as a whole night and even some of this morning flinging patience from depths in my tolerance reservoir that I had never previously had to explore at a certain baka hentai, and I was meant to _not _fall asleep in a lecture? Hello, kami-sama? Could you please lower the hurdle so I can get over it in my half-asleep state? It would be a piece of strawberry cake for someone like you…

Yeah, right. Like a god would listen to a moody, mentally protesting sixteen-year-old. He'd probably think I was having my monthlies and tell me to raid the refrigerator for a carton of chocolate ice cream. Which wouldn't help in the least.

"…You will be tutored every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon by a tutor I have especially selected for you, Mikan, and hopefully soon you will be presentable to the public…"

Yes, and I'm going to stand being remolded into a shiny golden trophy. Thanks, Ojii-san. I've totally dreamt about that happening to me. Becoming your latest achievement really makes my day.

"…I have quit your job for you, seeing as by now you have probably realized there is little need for an occupation while you are under my care…"

I didn't know he could quit my job for me. Hell, I didn't even know I was legally under his care.

…HOLD ON.

DID HE JUST SAY HE QUIT MY JOB FOR ME?????!!!!!

Oh, no he didn't.

Instantly I felt myself disconnect from the conversation, my brain cogs turning like mad in a panicked frenzy. But as it sunk in more, it became increasingly obvious that Ojii-san would indeed quit the job. Hello? He wouldn't even let me go to Westfield because it was a 'commoners'' place. What were the chances of him letting me work at a small greasy fast food restaurant? Absolutely zilch. And the reason I took on the job in the first place was to support the family financially. Now? I'm the freaking heiress of a multibillion dollar company. The sheer thought of Sakura Industries running out of money in my lifetime would send anyone into peals of laughter. But what about Anna and Nonoko? How had they reacted to this? What were they thinking? Were they disappointed, or confused? Did they … hate me?

What about Mum and Dad?

"Mikan...?" Hurriedly I brushed my hair back, snapping out of my thought train and looked up at Ojii-san. He was looking at me with a slightly concerned expression on his face. Wow … he was worried. Like any normal girl who gets showered with affection by their (doting?) grandfather, I melted. This was, what, the first time he was actually appearing to be worried about me. Heck, he didn't even bat an eyelash when I was with Hentai!

"Are you unwell? Would you like to continue our conversation another time?" Again with the formality … that totally killed it.

Feeling my cheeks warming up, I pulled my lips up in what I hoped to be a smile, and said, "Oh, I'm fine, Ojii-san. Just a little tired, probably. Everything's happening incredibly fast, so…maybe I'll rest after or something. But please go on." Please, do _not_ go on; I want to go back to _sleep_. But I didn't want to be rude. I really do hope he can hear my signals to not continue, which I am sending desperately with every fiber of being.

Nodding, he resumed his topic.

Apparently, every fiber of my being isn't enough. Damnations.

"In case you were wondering about your … foster parents, I have thought about their … upbringing of you. They have done an exceptional job, even though they experienced financial difficulties. From the report, they have taken care of you extremely well, despite the fact that you are related to them in no way whatsoever. As Shizuka-san also worked for my company diligently and loyally for twenty years, I have decided to promote him. I have also come to the decision that they will … reside near you. I am well aware that you miss them, and the nearby neighbourhood is quite empty, with many newly constructed buildings yet to be occupied. They are expected arrive sometime late this afternoon with all their belongings."

Yawn. What was that? Excuse me, Ojii-san, but as you _m_ay _or may not notice_ your only granddaughter is currently dying of fatigue from fending off a certain Hentai this morning. Which, I might add, was technically you're fault because you were the one who set him up with me! Oh wait … what was that he said about Mum and Dad?

"Meanwhile, I have also withdrawn you from the school you currently attend. The reports I had read about Alice High School had unfortunately fell far short of my expectations. So I have made a request for you to be transferred to Alice Academy, a very well-known prestigious school which offers only the very best. I am also aware that you would feel quite…awkward without knowing anyone in a new environment, so I have also applied for two more positions, which will be given to your friends Osagawara Nonoko and Umenomiya Anna."

The words were still spinning around in my mind as I tried to push them all into a nutshell. Alice Academy? Did he mean _the_ Alice Academy? Alice Academy, the 'genius' school which only gave scholarships to the smartest students in all of Japan? Alice Academy, the school which demanded five million yen or more in donations yearly? Alice Academy, the school which only the rich could afford go to? Oh, _hell. _Chaotic new high school with lots of rich snobby people, watch out; savage barbarian and long-lost heiress of Sakura Corporations, Sakura Mikan is crashing through her dirty jungle in a deadlock with you.

"Mum and Dad are coming to this place? Today? Nono-chan and Anna-chan are coming? With me? To a new school? To Alice Academy? As in _the _Alice Academy? Have their parents…I dunno…approved? Oh my god, thankyou!" I seriously wanted to glomp him right now, for being such an awesome grandpa.

"That's alright, Mikan. And the answers to all of your previous questions are 'yes'.

"Oh, and just to let you know, in case you need any assistance at your new school please feel free to contact Hyuuga Natsume. After all, he does also go to Gakuen Alice."

So maybe he wasn't such an awesome grandpa. Damn.

*

"Morning…" I yawned and rubbed my eyes, while tottering in my heels. "Sorry, my alarm clock broke. I dunno how, but it did…"

"Morning, Mikan-chan!" a cheery voice greeted me back. "It's OK!"

I turned towards the voice. A person was sitting at a little round coffee table, a mug of something hot and steaming in front of him.

I stared.

1…

2…

3…

4…

5…

"Are you a transvestite?" I shot bluntly at my so-called 'tutor'. To my disappointment, he merely smiled brightly at me.

"Why, no. But you must be the dear Sakura Mikan-chan your Ojii-san has been looking for so long. I am Narumi-sensei, and from now on I will be–"

"I know, I know, my etiquette tutor…" Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and studied him more closely. So far I found that the word 'feminine' pretty much summed him up. He was all blonde curls and girly but surprisingly good-looking features. He would look _so_ much better if he trimmed the curls, and traded that gross outfit for a suit … an Armani one that looks good on …

_Whoa girl!_ I mentally slapped myself for referring to _that_ person. No, no, no, no, no, no, a million times _no!_

Back on the subject! But I thought what had really been sending the maids into giggling fits today at the sight of him was what he had decided to wear to my first lesson.

A _maid's_ costume. That's right. The black and white maids costume that was practically made of 100% lace, completely decked with frills, got full marks in the feminine department, and was pretty much the definition of cute on females. Which equaled, what, 400% gross on males?

No matter how much he denied it I wasn't gonna believe he wasn't a cross-dresser. The evidence was all in front of my eyes. And believe me, my eyes were perfectly fine. I'd never needed glasses in my life, and I wouldn't need them anytime soon.

"Hmm. I see what your Ojii-san meant when he informed me of your communication methods. Well, today we won't be addressing that issue, but…"

"But…?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"We will be learning how to have tea in the Western manner!"

Oh, kami-sama. The cliché. I resisted the doubtful expression that was about to surface on my face, not wanting to further make a bad first impression on my sensei.

*

"No, no, like _this_."

"Like this?"

"No, like _this_."

"…But aren't they the same thing?"

"… Erm, no …"

This was failing. FAILING, I say. Honestly, I was sipping! Except I was being told that I was gulping. My god, Narumi-sensei was _so damn fussy. _Dude, who would freaking _care_ at a tea party if my pinky was 180 degrees up, and my head tilted to the right. Wouldn't the other people be too freaking busy with their own freaking pinkies and teacups? Anyway, wouldn't it just be a hell of a lot easier if I didn't actually _attend_ any freaking tea parties? Problem freaking solved!

Sighing in defeat, he looked up at me with a new resolve _shining _in his eyes.

"Alright, we'll let that rest for the moment. Meanwhile, since we still have much of the lesson left, we will start on dancing!"

Dancing? Oh, surely he must not mean _that _dancing.

"Bush dancing?" I asked, forcing a chuckle. "Oh great! I did bush dancing in year three and it was awesome! I mean, everyone is practically …"

"No no Mikan-chan! You really are very funny! No, not bush dancing. _Ballroom dancing_."

Oh, %#$.

My grade did ballroom dancing in Grade 4. My partner was completely and utterly terrified of me by the end of it, to the point that when I passed by the nurse's office at the end of the day he was still sitting in there with bandaged feet, curled up in a ball and swaying back and forth like he had lost his mind in fear. That scene was horribly debilitating to my psychological confidence, and I never regretted sitting out when everybody else moved like swans on the wooden floor.

"Narumi-sensei…I'm not sure we should focus on dance today…I'm not sure we should focus on dance any day. Unless you want to end up spending a month on break with all your toes broken…"

"Oh, don't worry about my well-being, Mikan-chan. Of course I won't be dancing with you. You see my dear friend Serina-san who is a professional dancer will be demonstrating with me today. Together we will show you the classic; waltz." He swept a hand in the direction of the door as he spoke and I saw an elegant woman glide in. She had pretty features; high cheekbones, full pink lips, slim figure and long, luscious hair.

"Good afternoon, Mikan-san, Narumi-san. Shall we begin?" She enquired. Narumi opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated a moment before the words came.

"Ah, not quite yet. Mikan-chan, you'll need a partner too. I assume from your Ojii-san's report to me that you have met this person before."

_Please,_ I prayed, _don't let him be Hyuuga-hentai. Please. I'd rather have Tezuka-san. His personality is light years away from Hyuuga's._

Suddenly the back of my neck prickled, and instantly I realized that once again we had a visitor. I turned around slowly in my seat.

It wasn't Tezuka-san, to my dismay. It wasn't even a maid.

Leaning against the doorway in all his glorious, devastating sexiness (and, of course, the signature Armani suit) was the man whose presence I dreaded the most; Hyuuga Natsume.

"Hello, Polka."

*

One, two, three, one, two three…

"Gah, stop stepping on my feet, you hopeless case."

"Shut up, hentai! Not all of us are born with the ability to waltz!" To prove my point, I slammed my (three inch heels covered) foot down on his foot. I inwardly cheered; I could already see the bruise blooming.

To my chagrin, he didn't even wince. Instead, he smirked. "Oh, so you admit that dancing's your weakness?"

"Shut up!"

"Now now, children, don't fight. Mikan-chan, please don't use inappropriate language. Natsume-kun, try to be more tolerant."

Tolerant…my ass. But this was the first time I heard someone chide Hentai for being such a prick. At that moment it was _so_ hard to ignore the smirk threatening to take over my lips.

I looked up in time to see the scowl on Hyuuga's face. This time a giggle slipped out before I pulled my hand from his and muffled the bouts of laughter that came afterwards. Heck, I wasn't even sure why exactly I was laughing but it definitely had something to do with his expression. I mean, he scowled all the time but for some reason it was just so _funny_.

"What?" Hyuuga snarled at me, scowl becoming wider. I laughed harder; it was almost comical how the average person had a whole dictionary of expressions to use, yet Hyuuga, the so called prodigy, had successfully managed to limit his emotional vocabulary to a mere two. Soon, I was practically rolling on the floor, clutching my stomach with tears running down my cheeks. Narumi-sensei and Serina-sensei soon stopped after when they heard my gasping for breath and rushed to me, bombarding me with questions.

"Are you alright, Mikan-chan?"

"What's wrong, Mikan-chan?"

"What happened?"

"What did Natsume-kun do to you now?"

The last question made me stop, only to realize I had the dreaded hiccups.

"No-_hic_-thing," I quickly, standing up again. "I w-_hic_-as just la-_hic_-ughing. Nothing!"

The two looked skeptical, but with some pretty scary glares courtesy of Hyuuga, they fell completely silent.

"We'd better end the lesson today," Narumi-sensei said, slinging his tiny bag over his shoulder. "I'll see you both next lesson; we'll be continuing ballroom dancing! Ja ne!" And with that, he and his puffy maid's outfit floated out the double doors of the ballroom we were practicing in. Serina-sensei gave us a small, soft smile and glided out the door after Narumi-sensei.

*

I turned to Natsume, a frown etched into my face.

"What are you _doing_ here, you moron? I thought I gave you enough tomatoes to occupy you at your _house_." He smiled trouble.

"I've already finished them. Thank you for your lovely…_present_." I inwardly shivered at the tone of his voice, casual on the outside yet holding a dangerous edge to it.

"Your very understanding jii-san has been sympathetic with my current condition and has ever so kindly offered his hospitality and opened his home to me while I deal with certain _issues_ I'm having at mine. So perhaps for the next week I shall be staying in this mansion. Of course,you are also a host and I am, after all, the guest. I am expecting this stay to be very a most memorable period of time. After all, we wouldn't want ties to be…_strained_, now do we?"

Mustering myself, I stared back solidly into his blood-red eyes.

"Please, do not occupy yourself with concerns about the satisfaction of your stay here. I will, of course, do my _best_ to make this place a warm and comfortable place to be. After all, we wouldn't want ties to be…_strained_, now do we?"

His eyes hardened. "Indeed," he said shortly. Then, without even glancing at his watch, he continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to. I will see you at the dinner table." I waited until he reached the door before I interrupted him.

"Hyuuga."

"Yes?" His voice was neutral as I looked him in the eyes again.

"The main dish will be chicken, gravy and mashed potatoes tonight." To my satisfaction he actually looked mildly surprised, before reverting back to his trademark smirk.

"Then let us all wait in anticipation to see what the humble spud can do."

**Well, here we go, guys! Chapter 6 is UP! We hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, especially after our extremely long update. But it's nigh time we had some fun! so…*drumroll***

**We are opening our doors to YOU! Because we could use some side characters to fill in some of the student body at Gakuen Alice, we would like for our awesome readers to participate and create some people for us! Just create somebody you think would make a decent school student and tell us about them in a review! After all, we need to know what you guys want in order to improve My Princess life. We look forward to hearing from you guys!**

**Until next time,**

_**My bittersweet ending **_**and **_**ScarletInk314**_


	8. note

**To all readers -**

**sorry ; this isn't a update.**

**instead . . . this is a message from Inky and me .**

**we're going to put My Princess Life on hiatus .**

**ii know we're not meant to put personal messages and notes as chappies, so we'll delete this after a week or so .**

**the reason we're putting MPL on hiatus is bkkos we're really lacking decent inspiration , and the lack of popularity isn't exactly boosting our want to update this either .**

**instead , we'll be writing some different stories, like oneshots and our own multi-chapter works .**

**we hope you support them .**

**on a happier note, we really want to thank reveiwers bkkos we love them to death .**

**we hope uu visit us sometime so we can give uu the cookies we owe uu (:**

**and whether we'll remove the hiatus and update again ?**

**who knows ?**

**we are , after all , PMSing and mood-swinging teenagers (:**

**ScarletInk314 and my bittersweet ending**


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